Wayfinding 2014
What makes for effective wayfinding?
I think one of the biggest problems with the wayfinding industry is a lack of standard metrics to quantitatively measure the effectiveness and overall quality of the directions given. This is a particularly tricky problem to solve, because the actual effectiveness is subjective depending on the type of user that sees the instructions, the type of venue that we are looking from, and the methods in which we relay this information (in the form of an interactive kiosk, mobile application, static arrow signs, etc.)
At the same time, we need a more procedural approach to measure the effectiveness of directions, so that we can grasp the level of detail and precision of any given direction that helps you “find your way”.
Not only does this help MappedIn maintain and monitor the quality of wayfinding service we are providing to our clients, it also allows us to stay competitive with other solutions from direct and indirect wayfinding competitors.
We will talk about a quantitative measure for wayfinding in a future blog post perhaps, but first, I think it’s crucial for the entire industry to start looking at the higher level goal of the wayfinding products we are producing; to help people quickly figure out where they should go next. In keeping with these beliefs, I have gone ahead and outlined a few of the higher level goals that MappedIn is looking to achieve to help spark this revolution in the industry.
Tenants of Wayfinding
First and foremost, I think that in order to find a good measuring stick, we have to think about the hypothetical limits of the problem we are solving.
Consider the scenario of an imaginary user, who we will call Sue, has just pulled into the parking lot of a busy, multi-floor, thousands-of-square-feet super shopping plaza. In this case, she is looking for a particular brand of a particular product. A big mall like this could have hundreds of stores that may potentially sell this product. An ideal wayfinding solution would immediately, and accurately give Sue a clear sense of where to go, and what to look for.
Accurate and Immediate Directions
It seems that these two dimensions cover the bulk of the problem space. We must realize that the wayfinding problem is a mixture of both a communication problem (for immediacy) and an optimization problem (for accuracy). The optimization part is relatively straightforward, since mathematics and computation can give us optimal values. In fact, in order to satisfy the optimization portion of the wayfinding problem, all you need is accurate data and accurate computers, which is a difficult challenge, but comparatively easier to measure. In addition, optimization is simplified if we already know what the optimal solution should look like (i.e. it is not NP-Complete.)
The communication challenge is a little bit trickier. Imagine that for every venue there was some hypothetical wayfinding expert knows all of this information. Then the ideal case would be if this expert could immediately communicate its knowledge to incoming visitors, while understanding each of their needs. But since we have yet to invent mind melding, visitors are most likely to interpret the instructions differently, be more inclined to try and find their way on their own, etc.
Finding Effective Spatial Communication
At MappedIn, we found that the communication challenge is really split up into two pieces. Visitors need a general spatial understanding of the venue, as well as a precise spatial understanding of where their target location can be found. In the general case, we are trying to understand how the venue is designed, common patterns in the way the building is structured, etc. In the precise case, we are trying to find an exact location, decide on the best place to make a left or right turn, and how to find the destination as fast as possible.
We have already found (in a previous blog post) that using landmarks and clear points of interests are excellent way at communicating and checking to see whether or not you are following the original path. This helps in covering some of the precise spatial understanding, as it allows visitors to quickly evaluate and navigate to their desired destination
During our market research at MappedIn, I have found that a lot of existing wayfinding solutions rarely address this second need, and do not think critically about how to improve visitors’ understanding of the general environment. Ironically, this is where you can get the most effectiveness from wayfinding, as sane buildings often have some sort of repetition or pattern that you can use to your advantage. There are a number of ways we are trying to improve this experience. In the most basic case, using a map is an excellent visual aid to help visitors understand and find patterns based from architectural designs. Colour coding and minor cues from the map also help visitors understand the general spatial design quickly.
In essence, the key to good communication is to quickly and effectively describe the general and precise spatial design of a foreign venue to a new visitor.
Overall, I think that this breakdown of effective wayfinding will open the doors to more discoveries in the industry. They will move us towards more efficient, intuitive and accurate solutions. I believe that this will be a theme when it comes to measuring the quality of directions given to visitors. As we continue to develop better solutions for wayfinding, references to the tenants of wayfinding will increase the measure and effectiveness score of wayfinding solutions today.
