For a long time, Wayfinding was fairly straightforward. You’d have a destination and a map. The route you took was up to your own preference, but there were no options for digitising the process. Technology has modernised wayfinding massively, allowing for route planning to take place wherever you are, as long as you have internet service or pre-downloaded maps that is. These advancements make it crucial for the wayfinding systems that are implemented to be versatile and compatible across all platforms.
Versatile wayfinding allows area users to easily navigate their environments according to preference rather than availability. This ease of navigation is crucial for many reasons, let’s take a look…
If you’ve ever taken a trip to a new location and had a journey in itself trying to figure out where you’re going, how likely are you to return? Before the impact of technology on navigation, having clear signage was enough, but now, this isn’t the case. When designing a wayfinding system, you need to approach it from every angle.
Logically design the signage that is going to be implemented. This means the same size, shape and colour for signs of the same variety. This allows for navigators to easily recognise the different signage they need to identify throughout their route. For example, directional arrows should be located at the same height and position consistently. Area maps and informational booths should also be located at the same position on every floor or building.
This being said, this consistency needs to extend through onto its digital availability. Whether the route is being planned through Google Maps on an iPhone or through a cars Satnav, the results should be the same.
One of the most important aspects of wayfinding is its ability to respond to the needs of its environment. For example, this may be during an event or a season where there is higher footfall than normal. Or, it could be an emergency situation like COVID-19. Whatever the circumstances, your wayfinding system needs to versatile enough to handle it.
There are so many different ways to make wayfinding flexible. You can use cool things like ‘what3words’ or look into low-cost graphics, floor graphics, roll banners etc. For short term signage, you can look into recycled and cardboard materials for a smaller carbon footprint.
While sight is arguably the most versatile aspect of wayfinding, not everyone navigating a built environment can solely rely on sight. For this reason, it’s crucial to take these circumstances into account when developing a wayfinding system. For those with visual impairments, the strategic use of touch, scent and audio is crucial. You can read more about this in our recent article, Accessibility and Legibility in Wayfinding.
All in all, versatile wayfinding is crucial and a great way to increase footfall to any given environment. If you have any questions, why not give us a call? We’d be happy to have a chat.