An advising center board gives students a quick, live view of office activity without requiring staff direction or student interaction. On one screen, students can see which appointments are currently in session, when the next ones are, and who's next to be seen.
These boards are useful in lobbies on shared screens and when students move between drop-in and scheduled services.
Start from an example
Copy this Suitcase ID and paste it in Database → Suitcase Import to import our demo portal:
bf0cd61e-5126-488b-be0d-127433bb8319:slate-success-showcaseOrganizing appointment queues
If you want to build this portal on your own, start by deciding which services belong on the board. Separate queues make the display easier to read and reduce confusion in busy offices. A common setup is one column for drop-in appointments and one column for scheduled advising sessions.
Keep the display focused on the information students need in the moment:
The active queues, such as drop-in advising and scheduled advising.
Which appointments are in session now.
Which appointment is next in each queue.
How soon the next session begins.
Brief office messages, such as check-in instructions or reminder text.
Adding exports
Pull the smallest set of data required for a public display. In most cases, that includes student name, appointment start time, appointment end time, and a status value that helps determine whether the appointment is upcoming or in session.
If you are using repeated appointment rows or grouped data in the display, Subquery Exports & Outputs explains how dictionary outputs support Liquid loops.
Building the portal view
Use an Express Portal to display the board. Configure one view for the public screen and add only the exports needed for that view. Keeping the export list short helps the screen load faster and keeps the configuration easier to maintain.
Rendering dynamic display text with Liquid
Use Liquid markup to turn raw data into plain status text. For example, you can label rows as "In Session," identify the next appointment in each queue, and hide appointments that have already ended.
Liquid markup also helps with conditional display rules, such as showing a summary card only when a queue has an active appointment.
Styling the board
A lobby screen should be readable from across the room. Use large text, strong contrast, short labels, and enough spacing to separate one row from the next. If the display will appear on a TV or wall monitor, avoid layouts that depend on scrolling.
📖 See Portal Branding for custom CSS rules to adjust the layout.
Testing on the big screen
Set the page to refresh automatically, so the display stays current during office hours. Then test the board on the actual screen. Check the font size, color contrast, timing changes, and queue order from the same distance students will be standing.
💡 Tip
Consider abbreviating names, such as "Smith, J.," instead of showing the full first and last name. Avoid any information not necessary for students to understand the queue.