Screens that are on but silent
Walk through a station, an airport terminal, a shop or a clinic waiting room and you will often see televisions and digital signs playing video with the sound off. Many of them show text across the bottom, whether it is the news, a promotional clip or an information loop. The people in charge of those places have practical reasons for choosing text over audio, and understanding them also shows why such text works well for some people and poorly for others.
Why sound is usually left off
- Noise already competes. Stations and airports are full of announcements, trolleys, crowds and engines. Video sound would just add to the din, and it would usually be inaudible anyway.
- Many different people share one space. Hundreds of passersby are on different schedules, and sound from one screen would carry across a wide area and clash with others nearby.
- Announcements must stay clear. Safety and travel announcements need to be heard, and a screen playing speech at the same time could mask them.
- Some places need quiet. Waiting rooms, clinics and some shops want a calm atmosphere. Sound from a television can annoy staff and customers, especially over a long day.
- Passersby only glance. Most people pass a screen for a few seconds. Text can be read at a glance in a way that speech, which has to be heard from the beginning, cannot.
Who benefits
Text helps people who are deaf or hard of hearing, who would otherwise be shut out entirely. It also helps people who do not speak the local language well, since they can read at their own pace rather than catching quick speech. Others benefit simply because it is more convenient than listening in a loud place. This is a good example of a feature built for one group that serves many.
What good public text looks like
Screens in public places are viewed in difficult conditions: from a distance, at an angle, in glare, and often while the viewer is walking. That affects design:
- Size and contrast. Large, high-contrast text is easier to read from afar. Subtitle legibility depends on size, color and background together, and glare can undo an otherwise good choice.
- Short lines and breaks in sensible places. Text split at natural phrase boundaries is quicker to read at a glance.
- Enough time on screen. A sentence that disappears in a second is wasted on someone walking by. Reading speed matters even more when viewers have only a moment.
- Placement. Text should not be blocked by other graphics, tickers or logos.
- Stable layout. Constantly moving text is harder to follow than text that holds still.
Because viewers often join mid-way, short self-contained segments and repeating loops suit public screens better than long stories.
Where it falls short
- Quality varies. Text generated automatically for a live broadcast may contain mistakes or lag behind the pictures. For anything important, such as travel disruption, safety or health information, people should be directed to staff or official announcements.
- Not everything is captioned. Some looping adverts and promotional videos have no text at all, so muted screens show pictures without explanation.
- Sound information is lost. Alarms, announcements and warnings need other channels too, such as visual signals and staff assistance, and public information should not rely on one method.
- Readers with vision difficulties. Small or low-contrast text may be unreadable for some people, and screens placed too high are hard to read for anyone.
- Language coverage. A screen that only shows one language leaves other visitors without access to the content, although some venues rotate several languages.
- Distraction. Some people find constantly changing text or video tiring, particularly in places meant for rest.
Information, advertising and entertainment
Public displays have different aims. Information screens in transport hubs show times, platform changes and notices, and are mostly text anyway. Promotional screens in shops use video to attract attention, and text helps carry the message when nobody hears it. News and entertainment screens in waiting areas rely on text to keep people informed or occupied. A venue that wants to reach everyone will think about all three, along with how accessibility is described in its accessibility statement where one exists.
For venues thinking about their screens
Venue staff who manage screens may find these points useful:
- Assume that sound will be off, and design the video to make sense without it.
- Prefer prepared, checked text to automatic text for fixed loops.
- Test readability from the farthest likely viewing point.
- Avoid placing text where other graphics or reflections will cover it.
- Consider who the audience is, including visitors who read another language.
Rules for public information and accessibility differ by country and region and change over time, so those responsible for a venue should check the requirements that apply to them with the relevant authority or a qualified professional.
A passerby’s view
If you are the viewer, remember that muted text is a summary tool, not a full record. It is fine for catching headlines or a simple message, but if the content matters, ask someone or find the full version from the source.