Screen content · Short messages

Shorten screen text and test how long it stays visible

This guide helps you divide long text into short messages that each make sense on their own. Then test readability and display time on the intended screen.

SUISSE-VIDEO · 5 October 2026 · 4-minute read

1. Identify the question behind the text

What should someone know or do after reading? Write that answer in one sentence. A booking message needs instructions. An offer needs enough detail to understand it. Remove introductions that do not contribute to that purpose.

2. Keep essential details together

Put the main message and necessary details in a clear block. Price and offer, date and event, or action and location should not depend on a later display. Visitors arrive at different points in the sequence. Check every message on its own.

3. Divide a paragraph by purpose

Group sentences by what they do: give directions, explain an offer or provide a contact. That can produce the three displays in the example. Do not simply cut a sentence after a fixed number of words. Repeat essential details when a message would otherwise depend on the previous one.

Example: turning one paragraph into three displays

Display	Short text	Standalone message
Directions	Welcome to Hotel Panorama. Please check in at reception.	Where guests check in
Offer	Dinner in the hotel restaurant: 18:00–21:00. Book at reception.	What is offered, when and how to book
Outing	Planning an outing? Reception can help with current travel information.	Where guests can get further information

Fictional hotel example. Original paragraph: “Welcome to Hotel Panorama. Please check in at reception, where you can also book a table for dinner from 18:00 to 21:00 and get current travel information for your outing.” The three displays are editorial drafts, not an automatically configured sequence.

4. Check readability before timing

Show the draft on the intended device. Check font size, contrast, line breaks and viewing distance. More time will not make tiny text readable. Ask someone else to understand the message without explaining it first. Remove unnecessary wording before adding display time.

5. Test the actual content change

Set up the intended sequence using the options available in your SUISSE-VIDEO project. Check whether the text can be read fully before the content changes. Test the longest language version too. Keep essential directions permanently accessible elsewhere if visitors only pass briefly. Record the version tested and check again when the wording becomes substantially longer.

Short screen text checklist

Each display answers a clear question.
The main message and essential details stay together.
Each message makes sense without the previous one.
Font size and contrast have been checked in place.
The actual content change allows enough reading time.
Longer language versions have been tested too.

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