Wayfinding signage enables visitors to navigate through complex spaces without getting lost. It decreases frustration and reliance on others for directions, thus boosting visitor experience.
Directional signs are like your friendly tour guide, telling you how to get from point A to point B. Other informational signs communicate important details such as operating hours, rules of behavior or facility policies.
Directional Signage
A primary function of directional signage is to provide visitors with a clear, concise path to get them where they need to go. It helps reduce frustration and stress that can occur when people are lost or confused, and it also boosts the overall experience for customers, guests, patients and students.
Directional signs can be a critical tool in a wide range of environments, from the parking lot at a mall to the booths and rides at a theme park. In these cases, clear navigational signs, provided by sign companies Indianapolis, help first-timers and seasoned veterans alike get around efficiently and easily to their desired destinations
Wayfinding solutions are sometimes built into a space from the start, such as with hallways designed to highlight directional signage through lighting, carpeting and dimensional wall treatments. Other times, directional signage is necessary to complement existing architecture and provide a consistent feel throughout a large facility.
Directional signage is especially important for schools, where visitors may be unfamiliar with classrooms, cafeterias or other locations. Preschools can use simple maps and colorful graphics to help kids orient themselves, while colleges and universities can rely on a well-thought-out system that uses a combination of directional signage and comprehensive maps for complex buildings and campuses. Directional signage is equally important for larger public spaces, like airports or train stations, where many people may be unfamiliar with the layout of a site and can quickly become overwhelmed.
Informational Signage
When a visitor enters a building, it is critical to have clear informational signage. These signs are the way to identify important information and set behavioral expectations, such as the location of a restroom or department.
In addition to pointing the way, informational signage can provide useful data about an environment, such as an area’s layout or history. These types of signs can help reduce the amount of time employees spend searching for locations, allowing them to focus on more important tasks.
Informational signage must be easily readable and use universally recognized symbols. It must also take into account sightlines and not be blocked by other objects or signage. Signs should also be located at decision points, where users can determine whether they are still on the right track to their destination. Examples of decision points include exits and intersections.
Having the proper signage will make your visitors feel confident in their ability to navigate and locate key areas within your organization. It can also decrease the stress that may come with feeling lost or disoriented in unfamiliar environments. In addition, well-designed signage will increase the number of visual cues that can be used to communicate the direction of a destination and can even indicate accessibility.
Proper wayfinding signage should avoid clutter by using contrast and uniformity to distinguish different informational displays from each other. It should also avoid clustering, where multiple signs are displayed in close proximity to each other. This can be confusing and can cause people to ignore or miss valuable information.
Regulatory Signage
When you want to make sure visitors understand the established rules, regulations and boundaries of your built environment, regulatory signage is an essential wayfinding solution. Typically rectangular and white, these signs communicate what you can and cannot do at a particular intersection or point of interest in your facility. This includes traffic laws, security or safety warnings and even the things you can and cannot take through a security checkpoint in an airport.
The information contained on these types of signs must be clear and concise, and it must be placed where it will be noticed. Ideally, they should also be legible to people with limited vision or impaired mobility. Using universal symbols in the signage can help with this, and letter heights should be adjusted to ensure compliance with ADA guidelines.
Wayfinding is a critical component of any business, educational institution or healthcare facility. It’s a tool that helps to streamline internal navigation, contributing to increased employee productivity and a more positive guest experience. With proper planning, you can create a system that eliminates the natural confusion people feel when they enter your facility. Contact a full-service wayfinding design consultancy to learn more about how a strategically designed wayfinding solution can make your workplace more effective. We’ll work with you to develop a comprehensive design plan that aligns with your brand’s aesthetic while ensuring your visitors can get where they need to go without getting lost along the way.
Interactive Signage
Using digital signage for wayfinding helps visitors, guests, customers, and workers find their destination without any confusion. It also gives staff the ability to focus on more important tasks and enhances the overall customer experience.
The first step in designing a wayfinding strategy is to determine your intended audience. It is important to consider the needs, wants, and limitations of the audience to ensure that your wayfinding solution will be successful. This can be done by conducting a series of studies and interviews with your audience members to understand their needs and expectations.
Once you’ve determined the desired audience for your wayfinding strategy, it is time to create the layout and design. This is an important part of the process because it will help you determine how your digital wayfinding system should function and look. For example, the layout and style of your hardware should reflect your brand identity and create a modern feel to your facility or building.
Lastly, it is important to test your wayfinding design in-person to see how it feels. This can be done by asking your audience to navigate through your building or campus and then observing how they behave and where they get lost. This will give you a good idea of how your wayfinding system works and whether it is effective or not.