From DigitalRhetoricCollaborative

Wayfinding

Wayfinding is the use of certain cues to navigate a physical or digital space. It is a termed coined by Kevin Lynch to describe environmental legibility, elements of an environment that allow successful navigation through complex spaces. ^[1] Originally used as a technique for navigating physical environments, it has become applicable in navigation of digital environments and web design.

Contents 1 Wayfinding 1.1 History 1.2 Modern Physical Usage 1.2.1 Signage 1.2.1.1 The Arrow 1.3 Modern Digital Usage 1.3.1 Navigation and Usability 1.4 References

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History

Wayfinding did not develop until the early 20th century. The term was coined by Kevin Lynch in The Image of the City in which he recognized the importance of an environmental image in wayfinding tasks.^[2] He divided the elements of a city into five distinct groups: paths (streets, bus lines, etc), edges (physical barriers such as walls or rivers), districts (places with distinct identities such as Wall Street or the Empire State Building), nodes (major intersections or meeting places), and landmarks (visible structure that can be used to assess orientation over long distances).^[3] Archietexts, urban planners, landscape architects, environmental graphic designers, and behavioral and cognitive psychologists have contributed to the study of wayfinding.^[4]

Modern Physical Usage

Today, the wayfinding technique is most commonly used in large buildings like hospitals and airports. Signs and architecture are intricately designed with the user in mind. Wayfinding airport designer Jim Harding asserts, "Ultimately, if we do our job well, wayfinding enhances the customer experience without them knowing why or how." ^[5] Every aspect of design is considered from signage, lighting, and color to general architecture of the space. Examples of architectural features in airports involved in wayfinding are dual carriageways, escalator, entrances and exits, and check-in counters. They are designed as to be easily located and provide natural signage related to their function.^[6] It involves plotting predictable paths and decision points in the signage, so users can easily find their way around in unfamiliar territory.

Signage

Signage is a spatial mode of interactivity with the user that transforms unfamiliar terrains with the help of familiar authority such as easily recognizable symbols and titles. Well executed wayfinding signage will allow the user to form a mental map of the space that can be used to inform decisions and action plans. It is vital that all signage can be easily understood by a wide variety of users and can be seen from an acceptable distance.^[7]

The Arrow

The arrow is a tool in signage that helps to control movement and maintain stability. The person becomes a traveler guided directly by specific procedures for movement. The arrow essentially transforms information in a certain order. When the space is planned in the way a map is planned, the signs are less about representation and more about movement. The arrow, specifically, is a tool for guiding movement and behavior in an unfamiliar space. ^[8]

Modern Digital Usage

There are certain distinctions between physical wayfinding and wayfinding in digital spaces. In digital spaces, there is no sense of scale or movement, no compass, no directions or clear sense of going in a certain direction.^[9] In order to aid this wayfinding cues are embedded into the space to keep users aware of where they are and where they might want to go. Like in physical spaces, arrows are used to direct a user to what they should click on. Home pages, breadcrumbs, and color changing links give a sense of orientation to the user. ^[10]

Navigation and Usability

References

1. ↑ Webstyle Guide to Navigation
2. ↑ International Digital Media and Arts Association on Wayfinding
3. ↑ Webstyle Guide to Navigation
4. ↑ International Digital Media and Arts Association on Wayfinding
5. ↑ The Atlantic: How You Know Where You're Going When You're in an Airport
6. ↑ Fuller, Gillian. "The Arrow--Directional Semiotics: Wayfinding In Transit." Social Semiotics 12.3 (2002): 231. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.
7. ↑ Fuller, Gillian. "The Arrow--Directional Semiotics: Wayfinding In Transit." Social Semiotics 12.3 (2002): 231. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.
8. ↑ Fuller, Gillian. "The Arrow--Directional Semiotics: Wayfinding In Transit." Social Semiotics 12.3 (2002): 231. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.
9. ↑ http://webstyleguide.com/wsg3/4-interface-design/2-navigation.html Webstyle Guide to Navigation]
10. ↑ Webstyle Guide to Navigation