A ticker is for one changing fact at a time. A headline, a waiting number, a weather line, a platform change. The moment it carries two facts, a reader has to wait for the loop to come round again to check the one they cared about.
The discipline is updating it. A ticker that is out of date is worse than a blank screen, because people trust a screen that looks live. If nobody is going to change the number, do not put a number on it.
Queue and waiting-room displays have a specific tell: the number should change more often than the loop repeats. If someone can watch the same number scroll past three times, they will assume the system is stuck and come and ask you, which is the exact thing the display existed to prevent.
News Ticker
Tickers are for one updating fact at a time: a headline, a delay, a score. If you have five facts, rotate them as separate Text, still one line each.
- Font
- Arial, sans-serif
- Speed
- 60
- Direction
- left
- Text Color
- #ffffff
Weather Alert
Alerts must be specific: what weather, what to do. "Stay inside until 4pm" is better than an icon with no instruction. Do not loop an expired warning.
- Font
- Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif
- Speed
- 48
- Direction
- left
- Text Color
- #ff8c00
Queue Number
Queue Text is a now-serving number. Pair it with a spoken call if you can. Change it at the same moment the counter changes or the line will argue with the Preview.
- Font
- Arial, sans-serif
- Speed
- 25
- Direction
- left
- Text Color
- #000000