Our Thinking: End-to-end wayfinding
Our goal is always to create holistic wayfinding experiences that are consistent, connected and clear
In our role as wayfinders, we need to think about the entire journey a user has to take to reach their destination and return home again.
If we’ve done our job well, you won’t even notice where we’ve made interventions to make your journey as smooth and seamless as possible. In reality, we’ve done an immense amount of thinking to ensure every piece of information has been considered as part of the wayfinding design. This includes how the user prepares for the journey from the first website visit, all the way through to how they plot their way home.
Our goal with end-to-end wayfinding design is a relatively straightforward one: to create a holistic experience that is consistent, connected and clear the entire way through.
Stage 1: Prepping for the journey
Initiating a wayfinding journey doesn’t begin at the entrance doors – it starts with the pre-visit information.
While every location will have a different mix of pre-visit materials, they will typically include:
Appointment letters
Phone call instructions
Text messages
Emails
Website information
Wayfinding apps
A common design flaw we encounter is missing or inconsistent information at the pre-visit stage. This can lead to a whole suite of problems, including user confusion before they even step foot into the facility.
Our approach is to conduct a detailed review of all pre-visit information and analyse it for gaps, inconsistencies and opportunities. That way, there is a reduced possibility of the user getting lost on their way to Stage 2 – their destination.
Stage 2: Getting to the destination
Travelling to a new destination can be overwhelming. Whether the user is arriving by car, public transport, taxi, rideshare, bike or scooter, we have to plan for every possibility.
We need to consider all information and cues the user might be searching for on their way to a destination. This means asking questions such as:
Are there clear road signs directing car drivers to public parking?
Is there a separate drop-off area for taxis and rideshare travellers?
Does the landscaping naturally lead pedestrians from the footpath to the facility entrance?
We also have to consider how technology plays a role in users safely getting to their destination. For example, if the instructions from Google lead the user to an incorrect location (for example, the pinned main location points to the loading dock instead of the main entrance) then ease of navigation will also be hindered.
This leads up to our thinking around the next journey stage – navigating around the facility.
Stage 3: Getting around a facility
Things can move and change in a facility, even if a user has been there many times before.
As wayfinding designers, we need to ensure that our underlying strategy is equally strong yet flexible. By using codes (think B2 or D3 instead of ‘Paediatrics Floor’) we can more quickly and easily update directions to account for the high likelihood of change within a facility to account for upgrades, additions and expansions.
Similarly, we also need to consider a key factor that sometimes goes overlooked in designing wayfinding journeys – how enjoyable a space is for the user to navigate. This includes consideration of:
Consistent branding throughout the entire journey
Use of lighting, preferably natural and welcoming
Elevation of interior design and architecture
This brings us to one of the most important factors of any wayfinding journey – finding the right exit.
Stage 4: Getting out of the facility
‘Main’ exits need to look appear as such – clear, easy to distinguish and accessible
Good wayfinding design isn’t just about getting users to the destination – it’s also about directing them out.
Along with the anxiety that can come with safely getting to a destination, finding the exit can also cause many users a great deal of consternation.
Exit signage and directions need to be considered at every important juncture of the user’s journeys. Further to this, exit signage and access also needs to account for differences in ability, including those with low vision or mobility issues.
Ultimately, exits need to be simple in design and non-confusing for all users. This consideration extends to directing users out of the facility grounds, too.
Stage 5: Getting home safely
We need to be on top of how users prepare to approach a facility. Similarly, we also need to consider how they will leave the premises and return home safely.
This includes colour coding of parking lots, clear road signs and signals to safely exit barriers, and training of hospital staff in emergency exit procedures.
As wayfinders, we have a responsibility to help the user complete every stage of their journey as safely as possible. This is a role we don’t take lightly, especially at ID-LAB.
End-to-end wayfinding = coherent wayfinding
If I could sum up end-to-end wayfinding it would be as follows.
It doesn't matter if your system looks good in parts – it can only be considered a truly end-to-end solution if the chain of information is interwoven, sensical and unbroken. This applies to every part of the wayfinding journey, from pre-visit to exit planning.
Despite how important fluid end-to-end wayfinding is, planning for each stage is often left to the last minute on many projects, or in some cases, not at all. This can dramatically impact the overall success of the wayfinding design, and by extension, the entire facility experience.
Ultimately, the more critical elements we can integrate that are legible and helpful to guide the user, the better the entire end-to-end experience will be for all users at each stage of the journey – from A to B and back again.