Share your poor wayfinding experiences with us


When spaces like airports are well laid out and we are helped at every turn by things like useful and informative signage we hardly notice it.  When we are let down, for example, the signs suddenly stop mentioning where we want to go at a critical decision point, we feel annoyed, stressed, etc.


Our work as designers obviously aims to provide the best experience possible and we want to eradicate wayfinding woes.  But we’re always interested in those poor experiences to see what we can learn and how we can use those lessons to convince others of the need to get it right.

So if you have had a memorably poor wayfinding experience on any given journey, we’d like to hear from you.  Please comment on this blog to add your thoughts and experiences.

Whether you’ve been visiting a hospital, your journey to work, finding your way around a commercial building or outdoor space, shopping centre or anywhere, please let us know your experience in as much detail as you like.

To get us started, one of our principal consultants found himself in an embarrassing situation recently due to the rather overly “designed” symbols on the toilet doors of a London pub!

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DESIGN AND THE HUMAN FACTOR: Share your poor wayfinding experiences with us

Friday 13 September 2013

Share your poor wayfinding experiences with us


When spaces like airports are well laid out and we are helped at every turn by things like useful and informative signage we hardly notice it.  When we are let down, for example, the signs suddenly stop mentioning where we want to go at a critical decision point, we feel annoyed, stressed, etc.


Our work as designers obviously aims to provide the best experience possible and we want to eradicate wayfinding woes.  But we’re always interested in those poor experiences to see what we can learn and how we can use those lessons to convince others of the need to get it right.

So if you have had a memorably poor wayfinding experience on any given journey, we’d like to hear from you.  Please comment on this blog to add your thoughts and experiences.

Whether you’ve been visiting a hospital, your journey to work, finding your way around a commercial building or outdoor space, shopping centre or anywhere, please let us know your experience in as much detail as you like.

To get us started, one of our principal consultants found himself in an embarrassing situation recently due to the rather overly “designed” symbols on the toilet doors of a London pub!

Labels:

3 Comments:

Blogger Adam said...

So...I'm approaching a large London Station and i'm faced with this.
www.flickr.com/photos/adam_parkes/9799078954/in/set-72157635613006513

erm, Entry, No entry? I'm arriving at the station so can I enter?
It's only a temporary sign but never the less it has the potential to confuse a passenger before they have even set foot inside the station.

18 September 2013 at 12:38  
Blogger Nota Bene said...

And one from the streets of Edinburgh...yes, there really is no 'straight on'

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46717701@N02/9800327723/

18 September 2013 at 14:14  
Anonymous Martin said...

My top beef is the main underground map, being colour blind I sometimes struggle with it as I can’t reliably look at map to see which line I need and then associate that with signage that shows me which direction I go for which line – hammersmith & city and Jubilee at Baker Street really muck me up.

http://www.color-blindness.com/2012/04/04/subway-maps-for-colorblind-people/

19 September 2013 at 17:35  

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