Small Changes to Signs and Placement Lead to Giant Leaps in Action

A fast-casual café had an impressive new lunch menu, but after weeks of staff excitement and fancy graphics, barely anyone ordered the specials. A regular, noticing the team’s disappointment, pointed out that the beautiful sign with all the details was taped five feet above the counter, just above the staff’s heads, where customers only glanced when searching for napkins. Intrigued, the owner shifted the sign to sit directly next to the checkout pinpad, where people routinely lingered while waiting for payment to process.

Feedback was immediate: suddenly, customers started asking about the specials, sometimes pointing excitedly to the spot where their eyes naturally fell. Encouraged by the shift, staff began sequencing messages—briefly writing 'New Soup' on the door, offering a cheeky menu board at eye level in the line, and sharing in-depth descriptions on reusable table tent cards at each table. Within days, sales of specials nearly doubled, and staff felt energized by the meaningful engagement.

Behavioral science teaches that our attention is both limited and context-dependent. The brain is likelier to process and act on messages that appear in the right place, at the right time, and in the right format for our pace and mental state. The right sign, in the right spot, at the right moment, makes all the difference.

Take time to note where people zip by and where they linger in your workspace, classroom, or store. Next, match the size, length, and level of detail of your signage or messaging to the typical pace in that area—short for high-traffic, detailed for waits. Test moving signs to eye level in sightlines, and break complex ideas into a series of hints or instructions along the path. Make one thoughtful adjustment this week and see who starts to notice, ask, or act where before they would glaze by in a blur.