Say you manage an office building with six floors and about thirty tenants. The building directory in the lobby is an old letter board. A dental office moved out in spring, but its name is still up. The new design studio on the fourth floor isn't listed at all. So delivery drivers ask the front desk for suite numbers all day.
The real problem is keeping the directory up to date. Every time a tenant moves, someone has to change the board by hand. And when that doesn't happen, visitors are left with outdated information.
An interactive building directory is a lobby screen that lists every business in your building, with its floor, its suite, and a page of details. Visitors find the right door without asking the front desk.
OptiSigns is a digital signage platform that runs the screens in your business. OptiDev, its sister product, uses AI to build custom apps for those screens from plain words.
Below, you'll see what a good directory shows and when a ready-made one is enough. Then you'll see how to build your own with OptiDev and how easy it is to keep up to date.
What your building directory should show
A good building directory helps visitors find the right business without having to ask the front desk. Here's what to include:
Show the essential information. Start with each business name, its floor and its suite number. That alone answers most questions at the front desk.
Make businesses easy to find. Most visitors know a business name, not its floor. List names A to Z in large text, with the floor and suite number right next to each name.
Provide more details when needed. A short page for each business can explain what it does. On a touchscreen kiosk, visitors can choose a business to see its page. On a regular TV, keep the names, floors and suites visible on the main screen.
Keep the screen simple and readable. Thirty names can be a lot to read. If the list is too long, split it into clear sections instead of making the text smaller. A header with the date, time, and weather is a nice extra.
If visitors also need to sign in when they arrive, that's a different job. For that, see a lobby check in kiosk.
When a ready-made lobby directory is enough
Before you build, ask if you need to. Directory signage from OptiSigns already puts your tenant list on a screen. For many buildings, that lobby directory is the right answer.
Build your own when you want more control over your directory. Maybe you need a different layout or more details about each business. With OptiDev, you can ask AI to customize the app and keep your tenant information in one place.
Build your own interactive building directory
You don't start from a blank page. OptiDev has a building directory template made for building lobbies. It already lists businesses by floor, with a suite number for each. Each business has its own page with more details. A header shows the date, the time and the weather.
That's a good start. Now make it yours. Attach your tenant list as an Excel or CSV file, or share a link to the list you already keep. Then tell OptiDev what you want in plain words, like this:
"Use our tenant list for an office building with six floors. List businesses A to Z with their floor and suite number. Keep the text easy to read from the lobby entrance. For a touchscreen kiosk, let visitors select a business to see its details."
Something not quite right? Tell OptiDev's AI agent what to change, then look again.
Next, give your tenant list a home. OptiDev comes with its own database, called OptiDev Cloud. Turn it on for your project, then ask OptiDev to create a table with each tenant's name, floor and suite number and use that table for the directory. That way, the list and the app use the same information. This small step makes moves easy later.
When it looks right, publish it to OptiSigns from inside OptiDev and pick your lobby screen. It's saved in OptiSigns like any other content. You'll need an OptiSigns account with screens set up. The OptiDev docs show the exact steps.
Keeping it current when tenants move
Say the accounting firm in suite 210 moves out next month, and a law office moves in. Open your tenant table in OptiDev Cloud and change that row to the new name. When someone rents an empty suite, add a new row.
No replacing signs or rearranging letters on the lobby board. Just update your tenant information in one place.
Start with the tenant list you have
You already keep a tenant list. That's all you need to start.
If a ready made directory covers your building, use OptiSigns. If you want an interactive building directory made for your floors and tenants, open the building directory template. Add your tenant list, say what you want, and see your first version.
When a tenant moves out or a new business moves in, simply update the directory so visitors always know where to go.
Start building, no credit card required.
