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?
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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.
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 .
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Outdated information isn&#;t helpful to those trying to find their way. So the system needs real-time updates that are dependable.
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.
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.
Allowing users to customize their experience and plan the key components of their route connects autonomy with clarity.
When you have a separate, optimized route for wheelchair accessibility, users who have accessibility needs can easily navigate the physical space.
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.
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.
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.
It can be difficult for employees and visitors to find their way around an office, especially when there are multiple floors and meeting rooms or flexible facilities to suit hybrid work.
With many hybrid employees only working from the office a couple of days a week, they can have a hard time finding available desks or collaboration spaces since everything is constantly changing.
The good news is that office wayfinding can make this much easier. With the right wayfinding systems and signage, employees and visitors can easily navigate a building, creating a far better experience.
Quick Summary
Office wayfinding is finding your way around the office. It uses visual cues, signage, or maps that help employees and clients navigate the building and workspaces. You can think of it as a GPS for your work environment.
There are two different types of office wayfinding: physical and digital. Let&#;s have a look at each of these in more detail.
These are static signs that provide visual cues inside the office.
Digital wayfinding involves the use of technology to help navigate the office.
If your employees or clients enter the office and feel lost, it&#;s a clear sign that you must improve your wayfinding. An effective wayfinding system will enhance accessibility, create a better brand image, and improve office safety.
Wayfinding signs can help people quickly locate the exit during emergencies, such as fires or robberies. These situations can make people panic, so having a mixture of physical and digital signs showing them the way can help ensure their safety.
One of the ways to improve workplace security is to use a robust visitor management system. Check out why thousands of offices love OfficeRnD Visitor Hub.Plus, if you use digital signage, these screens and devices can also give audio and visual warnings to exit the building. For example, the signs can display messages, such as &#;Evacuate Now,&#; or provide audio alerts to reinforce the situation&#;s urgency.
Wayfinding can help employees find workstations easily.
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This is especially helpful for companies that follow a hybrid work model since employees who primarily work from home can feel disoriented when they come into the office. As a result, it can be harder for them to dive into their work on in-office days. But, with the help of signs and tools, they can easily navigate the office, see available workstations, and start being productive right away.
Plus, digital wayfinding tools can also help them determine the availability of desks and meeting rooms by logging into the app. With a few clicks, they&#;ll know which desks their team members occupy and can book their workstations accordingly.
This can, in turn, result in more efficiency since your employees won&#;t waste time getting lost at work or driving to the office just to see that there aren&#;t any desks available.
OfficeRnD Hybrid is a hybrid work management platform that helps employees easily navigate the office and book available resources such as conference rooms and desks. See how.
Signage can improve the visitor experience.
According to a study that surveyed 1,000 Americans and Australians, 79% believe that a company&#;s signage reflects the quality of its products and services.
So, by incorporating well-designed physical and digital signage, your company can appear more professional and polished, which can help increase credibility.
Digital wayfinding has many advantages over physical signage. It can integrate with different technologies and is more scalable.
Wayfinding software can often integrate with other technology, such as desk booking systems, creating a seamless employee experience.
You can also use these apps to understand office usage and optimize your space. For example, you can track and measure how your space is being used and adjust the office layout, seating arrangements, and schedules as needed.
In quarter two of , 53% of US workers were on a hybrid model, indicating a significant shift toward this way of working.
Using digital wayfinding tools and booking systems can help your hybrid workforce easily book desks and meeting rooms based on their schedules, resulting in less confusion and wasted time.
Digital signage can be updated with the click of a button. This makes these signs more scalable and flexible.
Regardless of how many times you update your office layout, you won&#;t have to invest in new signage. You can simply update the digital signs and systems.
Wayfinding can only be successful if done right. Below are some best practices for implementing these systems and signage.
There are four different types of wayfinding signage:
You need to implement all four types for a more seamless navigation experience. Each serves a unique purpose in helping your staff and visitors find their way around the office.
Ever heard the saying, &#;Simple is best&#;? This is the case with wayfinding. The signs you use should be simple. You must ensure that you only use universally recognized symbols, such as arrows, to guide people.
Your maps should be clear, and you should avoid using any jargon or overly complicated language. A good way to determine if the language is too complicated is to do an eight-year-old test. Ask yourself, could an average eight-year-old child understand the directions and language? If so, you&#;re good to go.
Use color coding for different office parts so employees can differentiate between certain areas. For example, you can choose different colors to designate space, like this:
For this to work well, you need to keep the meaning of colors in mind. For example, red is the universal color for danger, which is why it is often used for exit signs.
As mentioned above, digital wayfinding offers more flexibility than physical signage. It can be adjusted as your office environment changes and offers real-time insights.
You can consider using a tool like OfficeRnd Hybrid, which allows employees to find and reserve desks using digital office maps.
Although the initial investment in digital wayfinding signage and tools may be higher than that of physical signage, the long-term return on investment must be considered.
Ensure that the signage and wayfinding systems you use are accessible and inclusive for everyone, including those with disabilities. They must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines.
Consider the following:
You should also ensure that the tools you implement are user-friendly and that all employees can understand them, even those who aren&#;t tech-savvy.
Now that you understand the importance of office wayfinding, you can consider what type of signage and systems you want to implement in your workplace.
Use OfficeRnd Hybrid to give your employees a real-time map of the office showing available desks and rooms to increase efficiency and collaboration. What&#;s more, the software has a powerful visitor management system with which you can easily manage visitors.
Click here to book a live demo today and see how OfficeRnD Hybrid can boost your workplace.
Wayfinding is intended to help people easily navigate an office space using physical and digital signs and tools. It helps them find their way around the building more easily and improves productivity and the employee experience.
Wayfinding offers several benefits by improving navigation, reducing stress, and enhancing overall user experience in complex environments like offices or hospitals. It minimizes time spent searching for destinations, increasing productivity and efficiency in workplaces. Effective wayfinding can enhance accessibility, ensuring all users, including those unfamiliar with the layout, can easily navigate the space. This contributes to a more welcoming, organized, and user-friendly environment, improving satisfaction for employees and visitors alike.
The four types of wayfinding are:
These types work together to create a seamless navigation experience, making it easy for users to understand and move through a space effectively.
Good wayfinding helps deliver a better office experience for visitors and employees, even those with impairments. It ensures that people can easily find their way around a building and contributes to a sense of comfort, inclusivity, and productivity.
Some key elements of good office wayfinding include clarity and simplicity, accessibility, consistency, and integration with technology.
Examples of wayfinding signs include:
To design effective wayfinding, start by understanding the layout and flow of the space, including main entry points, destinations, and high-traffic areas. Utilize clear, concise signage with universal symbols and easy-to-read fonts, ensuring visibility from various distances. Color coding and consistent iconography can further aid recognition and help guide users intuitively. Consider incorporating maps or digital directories at key points like entrances, and use regulatory signs for safety compliance. Testing the wayfinding system by observing real user interactions can help fine-tune the design for optimal navigation.
Distinct colors like green, red, blue, yellow, and black can make signage easier to understand.
Wayfinding is important in the workplace because it streamlines navigation, helping employees and visitors locate rooms, resources, and amenities quickly and efficiently. Effective wayfinding reduces time spent searching for locations, which can boost productivity and decrease frustration. It also enhances the overall experience in the workplace, making the environment more accessible and intuitive, especially in larger or more complex office layouts. This clarity supports a more organized and user-friendly workspace, which contributes to smoother operations and improved visitor impressions.
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