fd2s Blog

I have been getting a lot of inquiries lately about touch-screen wayfinding kiosks, and it occurred to me that there might be some interest in this video, which demonstrates the kiosk component of the “Access” wayfinding program that fd2s created for the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Center in Houston.

You can get more information about the overall Access wayfinding program, which also included signage, architectural elements, printed materials, and staff training, in the fd2s web site’s M.D. Anderson Case Study. If that’s not enough, an even more detailed description of the project is available on our special Access Microsite.

Many complex facilities focus their efforts to improve wayfinding on the “real world” — physical signs to guide people in and around the environment. But even the most wayfinding-savvy organizations often do not extend their reach into the “digital world,” where many of their visitors start their journey.

Here are ten ways to deliver better wayfinding information online:

1. Provide an easy way for visitors to your web site to generate customized direction sets to or from your facility. Whether you offer an offsite link to a mapping web site like Google or Yahoo, or you invest the resources to create a customized tool on your own site, it is very helpful to visitors to be able to print accurate driving directions from their home to your campus.

2. Review the main mapping sites and confirm that they are providing accurate directions to your location. Google, Mapquest and Yahoo rely on third-party providers of street information and sometimes they can contain errors, such as incorrect street names or traffic flows. Each site offers ways to alert their providers about mistakes. Test getting directions to your address from different parts of town.

3. Explain parking options on your web site. If you have multiple parking options, like lots or garages and valet parking, list them all on your site, along with hours of operations and fees. Help your visitors determine the most convenient parking option for their destination.

4. Convey information about public transit options and private offerings such as intra-campus shuttles. Link to public transportation trip-planning sites, if available in your area.

5. Offer a version of your web site optimized for mobile browsing. With browser recognition, your web site can be optimized to deliver a mobile-friendly version for cell phone users. As we’ve said in a previous post, everyone now carries their own personal wayfinding device — the cell phone. Confirm that your visitors can find relevant information on their phones as they approach your facility or at your facility.

6. List all your street addresses on a single line, such as “500 Chicon, Austin TX 78702″ so that they can be easily pasted into a mapping application.

7. Alert your visitors about street closures and construction that may impede their journey to your facility. Alerts should be prominently placed on your web site and updated regularly.

8. For complex facilities and campuses, provide walking directions from parking to the visitor’s destination. Often the most frustrating part of a journey to a new facility is finding your way from parking into the right building and up the right elevator.

9. Offer information on popular amenities in the wayfinding section of your web site. Where can a visitor find food, a taxi stand or an ATM?

10. Maintain and update your wayfinding information on a regular schedule. Outdated information is worse than useless — it will negatively impact your visitors’ experience.

A Good Map is Hard to Find — and Harder to Build
Over the years, the designers in our studio have produced hundreds, if not thousands of maps for wayfinding programs. Some are as simple as an egress map — a regulatory sign most often required in elevator lobbies. Others show viewers an entire campus and exist in a variety of media, from signs to printed communication pieces to web sites and on-site touch screens.

By definition, a map is most often consulted by those who are unfamiliar with the environment. That means they are also unfamiliar with the map itself — they are first-time users of a tool that may contain dense and complex visual information. While every mapping project has its unique challenges, we have developed a number of guiding principles that inform our work:

1. Start with the logic.
Our wayfinding methodology begins with a planning phase that profits from a high degree of collaboration with our client. Our goal is to understand the specifics of the physical landscape and the common activities of the community of visitors. From there, we determine the logic of the wayfinding system. Most often, we recommend a system of landmarks and pathways in which major connection points and corridors are identified and articulated through environmental cues as well as supporting signage. At this point, we also work with the client stakeholders to distill the number of destinations into friendly, accessible terms and determine a single source of destination names.

2. Create a good base map, simplifying and abstracting the geography.
With major routes and destinations identified in the planning phase, our focus turns to designing the primary map. Our approach is to use an economy of line weights, styles, and colors, relying on a minimal palette to convey the visual information. There is an art to determining the level of actual detail that is required for a map reader to be able to associate the two-dimensional plan with the three dimensional world. For inspiration, we look to Massimo Vignelli who drew the maze-like warren of New York City subway routes with only three directional lines: horizontal, vertical, and a diagonal at 45 degrees.

3. Tune the map to the constraints of each medium.
By designing the base map first, we ensure that a consistent view will be presented regardless of how a visitor accesses it. Once a visitor has oriented themselves on one map, they will be able to scan and quickly orient themselves on any other map in the system. We draft an inventory of all media that will require the map — from signs, to pocket maps, to web sites, to mobile devices — and adapt the base map to make the most readable and usable version for each platform. Changes in resolution, color spaces, and physical dimensions inform the variations made to each map in the family of wayfinding tools.

4. Test and test again.
Throughout our process, we test our designs — formally and informally. On-site usability tests with staff and visitors are the most informative and provide the most tactical input for further revisions. It is easy to develop a system of prototypes such as low-fidelity wireframes for web applications and watch volunteers as they find their way using these tools. Much of what we learn from usability testing transfers from one project to another. For example, we have developed a set of best practices for common icons such as elevators, “You are here” indicators as well as successful typography standards and color contrast models.

5. Design for ongoing maintenance and growth.
An outdated map is ineffective. That’s why it is critical that we engage in two parallel design processes: the visual design of the map itself and the design of the business process that will ensure that it is updated easily and efficiently as the facility changes and grows. Working with the client organization, we determine ownership of all elements of the wayfinding system and develop tools to manage updates across the system. These tools range from checklists and workflows to customized suites of software tools.

With every mapping project, we refine and hone these principles. This rigorous, phased approach built upon our breadth of experience allows us to focus our attention on the unique criteria of a given project, and then embed those learnings in future initiatives.