Digital Technology Vs Covid-19
PassageWay’s digital signage software is part of a wave of innovative ‘tech for good’ helping the UK beat the pandemic.
Technology can help us tackle some of the world’s biggest social and environmental challenges, and Covid-19 is no exception. The pandemic has helped accelerate the adoption of digital services across the UK as well as driving innovative solutions to help us combat transmission of the virus and keep society functional in the new ‘normal’.
How Our Relationship With The Digital World Has Changed
Think Zoom. The video conferencing app has become one of the major winners of the pandemic, rising from a relative unknown to become a household name thanks to its key role in enabling home working and keeping us close to friends and family.
The UK’s relationship with cash has changed too. There was a big increase in the use of contactless payments following the outbreak of the pandemic. This is a trend that has continued and recently resulted in news from the Treasury that the limit on a single payment using contactless card technology will rise to £100 later in 2021. And LINK, the UK’s main ATM cash machine network, recently published survey data that shows 74% of consumers polled say they’re using less cash than before.
Meanwhile, many of us – over 20 million in fact – have downloaded the NHS Covid-19 app and are using it to protect ourselves, our family and friends from infection. As well as demonstrating how technology has been able to swiftly pivot to respond to the crisis, it underscores the combined power of the community to act for the benefit of all.
Tech For Good
Local people and grassroots groups were quick to come up with new ways to help their communities get through the lockdown. And the UK tech sector has been no different – with both start-ups and established companies alike looking for ways to scale up their services or come up with innovative ways to be a force for good during the pandemic.
In the early stages of the pandemic, Innovate UK, the nation’s innovation agency, sought to harness this creative energy by targeting a £40 million competition at the UK tech community. They issued an urgent call to submit proposals for projects and services designed to improve the UK's resilience to COVID-19 and boost economic recovery. The competition attracted a record 20,000 applications and saw 800 businesses receive help to take their ideas to market.
PassageWay, of which Chris Johns is one of the founding team, answered the call and became one of the winners, receiving grant funding to leverage the existing experience of real-time digital signage for transport to develop software to transform any connected screen into a hyper-local source of Covid-19 safety guidance and information.
Helping Society Through Innovation
By providing an easy way for almost any internet-connected screen across the community to be transformed into a source of public information, PassageWay’s software removes the need to own a smartphone or have the skills needed to access and download COVID-19 apps. This helps make sure that all segments of society can get access to vital information, in particular higher-risk groups such as the elderly and those on a low income who are less likely to have the right technology.
Presenting real-time information about the current environment means PassageWay’s digital Covid-19 software also nudges people to make small behavioural changes, reducing the risk of COVID-19 to themselves and others. The screen display includes the current R rate in the neighbourhood, as well as the latest number of local cases. This can help people take note of particular behavioural advice when visiting – especially if the prevailing R number or case rate is high.
Levelling The Playing Field
Adopting new digital technology is often initially limited to those with expertise or money – or both. But PassageWay’s innovative approach helps remove barriers, something that’s vital for small businesses on the high street right now when additional funds to buy new equipment or skilled resources are scarce.
By utilising the huge existing networks of connected screens, smart TVs, totems and kiosks available in our communities to reduce the outlay required, PassageWay is also a low-cost solution that can be rolled out quickly. From only £15 per month) users get a unique digital sign specific to their location and business which can also be shared on multiple screens within the same premises at no extra cost.
And because the PassageWay COVID-19 signs are delivered as URLs, there’s no need for specialist technical knowledge or implementation skills to get them up and running. Each unique sign can also be shared as a link via a website, email signature or social channels. This could be used to share information about a location in advance – for example, as part of a booking confirmation – and offers a one-stop-shop digital solution for small businesses who may not have the expertise or budget to create or curate additional digital content.
Find Out More
To find out more and to discuss how PassageWay can help your business beat the pandemic, please drop us an email. or visit covid-digisigns.com to licence your sign today.