Knowing your desired destination is only part of the journey it takes to arrive there. Wayfinding is a complex, multi-faceted, and adaptable methodology we use anytime we take in our surroundings and figure out where to go. But what is wayfinding, and how does wayfinding work?
While the term may conjure images of a master navigator pulling out a sextant on the deck of a ship to deftly maneuver the choppy waves and ferocious storms of the Pacific, modern wayfinding includes fewer sails and more touchscreens, kiosks, and signage systems.
When you hope to improve the visitor experience in a physical space and guide people along their way, consideration of wayfinding design is key.
What Is Wayfinding?
Today, many of us can’t imagine navigating even well-marked highways without the benefit of an ever-present GPS. Long before a friendly voice chimed turn-by-turn directions from our phones—even long before the invention of the compass—Pacific Islanders turned to the stars and the signs from nature on Earth to guide them across the open ocean.
Today, this wayfinding legacy is being revived among the people of Hawaii. Nainoa Thompson led this revival and set forth a path of knowledge-building about traditional techniques and skills. Under this historical training, the Hokule’a, a Polynesian voyaging canoe, completed a 47,000-mile voyage over three and a half years. This feat was celebrated by a massive crowd when the ship returned to its homeport in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 2017.
But what does this history have to do with digital wayfinding and modern-day business acumen? It helps us to understand that no matter how advanced the tools and gadgets get, good wayfinding has its core in tradition, connection, and the human desire for progress.
These same principles from thousands of years ago should underpin your decisions about how to guide people through your space. Give them the tools, knowledge, and confidence to make their way.
A Brief History of Wayfinding: How Does Wayfinding Work Today?
Following the original Polynesian wayfinding methods, the next two millennia saw the introduction of aids like road signs and cross-national signage conventions. But it wasn’t until the age of technology that everything began to change more rapidly:
- 1990: Mazda develops the world’s first car with an integrated GPS navigational system.
- 1996: MapQuest develops an internet-supported mapping service that allows first businesses and then consumers to customize their maps online and print them out for easier, more personalized directions.
- 1999: Mio Technologies develops the first portable GPS, to be used by consumers around the world.
- 1999: Benefon launches the first smartphone with integrated GPS.
- 2004: Google develops Maps, a web-based app that allows for more customized directions and wayfinding based on navigational GPS around the globe.
- 2007: The original iPhone becomes the first globally popular phone with integrated Google Maps for truly mobile digital wayfinding.
- 2007: Though originally developed in 1995, location-based services become popular on smartphones like the iPhone, collecting and leveraging data based on their location at a given time.
That leads us to where we are today: a connected world in which wayfinding is constantly with us. No matter where you are, your smartphone can get you where you need to go. Behind that is a complex digital and data-based process, and we’re only scratching the surface of possibilities for businesses.
Who Needs Wayfinding Systems?
Any business with a physical space and a concern for a positive customer experience will benefit from deeper consideration of wayfinding. Spaces that include more than one building, multiple floors, corridors of hallways, several practitioners or business fronts, or any other physical barrier to clear navigation must provide clear instructions to avoid confusion and frustration.
- Universities and Educational Institutions: Campuses can be sprawling and intimidating for new and current students alike. Wayfinding signage promotes a sense of belonging and confidence.
- Hospitals: Those interacting with healthcare organizations are especially in need of clear directories to make potentially stressful moments easier to navigate.
- Malls: Low-tech options like directional signs and high-tech displays with touchscreens can provide wayfinding solutions for customers whose positive experiences will translate into increased sales and return visits.
- Urban Centers: Clear directional signage ensures that visitors and residents can fully utilize the resources designed into these densely built environments.
- Transportation Facilities: Wayfinding signs can prevent frustration about complicated floor plans, allowing for maximum efficiency and utilized space.
- Government Buildings: Providing visitors with informational signs and identification signs for different spaces with clear directions creates smooth traffic flow and reduces confusion.
The 4 Key Elements of Digital Wayfinding
1. Knowing One’s Location
How does wayfinding work in digital terms? Most digital wayfinding begins with a clear understanding of one’s own location. Orientation of the world around us starts from our own position, and digital tools allow us to pinpoint exact positioning with accuracy and precision.
2. Knowing One’s Destination
People set their wayfinding goals in multiple ways. Perhaps they’re trying to get to a specific, known location. But they might also be trying to find a specific person, a particular service, or a destination based on a general topic. Digital wayfinding solutions that offer multiple ways of identifying one’s destination are flexible and customizable.
3. Finding the Best Possible Route
The movement from point A to point B is at the core of all wayfinding experiences, and digital solutions allow for personalized routing that accommodates things like accessibility needs.
4. Built-In Route Maintenance
Conditions change. The best route from last week may no longer work when a construction project blocks the way. A great path in fair weather might be undesirable when the temperatures drop. So using digital solutions can provide up-to-date routes that adjust to the conditions.
The Complexities of Wayfinding Today: How Does Wayfinding Work in the Modern World?
We’ve seen modern wayfinding take shape in surprising and innovative ways. For example, the mobile mapping app Waze has brought increased walk-in traffic to retailers. Also, New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art has enhanced the visitor experience through automated tours using digital indoor mapping software. Amazon has applied wayfinding principles to robots in order to automate fulfillment tasks at its warehouses.
Clearly, wayfinding has broadened in scope and application as our world has become more complex.
Essential Features of a Wayfinding System
The specific needs of a wayfinding system will vary. You’ll need to spend time thinking about and researching your users’ specific requirements, but there are some essential features modern wayfinders will appreciate. When you’re asking yourself, “How does wayfinding work for my organization’s needs?” think about these critical components.
User-Friendly Interface
A person seeking wayfinding assistance needs clarity and convenience. So the system should have an intuitive, user-friendly interface that allows users with different needs to easily find the information they’re looking for.
Real-Time Updates
Outdated information isn’t helpful to those trying to find their way. So the system needs real-time updates that are dependable.
Clear Digital Signage
Conflicting information and gaps in signage lead to confusion. Clear digital signage consistent with the wayfinding system is key. The best signs will automatically update as new information is put into the system.
Turn-by-Turn Navigation
Most users probably used turn-by-turn navigation from a GPS system to make it to the building. They’ll expect (and appreciate) that same level of convenience and clarity once they’re inside.
Drag-and-Drop Pins
Allowing users to customize their experience and plan the key components of their route connects autonomy with clarity.
Wheelchair Accessible Route
When you have a separate, optimized route for wheelchair accessibility, users who have accessibility needs can easily navigate the physical space.
Seamless Integration From Driving Directions
When interior directions are seamlessly integrated with systems that give driving directions (such as Google Maps), users can continue on their wayfinding experience from their own front doors all the way to their final destination without any interruptions.
How Do You Design an Effective Digital Wayfinding System?
Another way to ask this question is, “How does wayfinding work well?” Designing an effective wayfinding system starts with having the tools to handle the technicalities. It also requires a user-facing design that puts the results in the hands of your users. Integrating your system to include digital interfaces, touchscreen displays, a clear signage system, user customization, and automatic updates will provide the best user experience.
Partnering with an experienced, attentive organization like Concept3D allows you to design a modern, effective, and adaptive digital wayfinding system.
Make Wayfinding a Tangible Business Advantage With Concept3D
People have always needed to find their way, so understanding the basics of “how does wayfinding work?” can help you provide users with tools that make wayfinding simple and effective is a tangible business advantage. Digital solutions allow optimal user experiences, resulting in higher profits, more customer satisfaction, and deeper connections with visitors.
Shopping malls with excellent digital wayfinding solutions will attract customers who can easily map out their ideal visit. Healthcare systems will be able to provide comfort and familiarity to users who need care quickly. Forklift operators (whether human or robot) will be able to fill orders faster. After all, they’ll have clear instructions on where to find products.
People who get lost, confused, or frustrated are a challenge for your bottom line, but wayfinding allows business owners and customers easy ways to reach their destinations.
So, how does wayfinding work? Any way you need it to! Get started in designing your digital wayfinding solutions with Concept3D today.