Way Finding
 |
| Texas Road House womens bathroom sign |
For me, being lost is one of the most stressful situations I find myself in. I am a person who constantly has to be early and even being five minutes early feels like I am late. So when i really am running late for a meeting or in any building or street and I can't find my way because of poor singable I get really stressed out and overwhelmed with a sense of panic and frustration. Think about it, we see signs ever day. A simple example are restroom sings on doors to identify which one to enter. Without those you would be left looking between the two and basically playing Russian roulette. Lighting, color, patterns, signs, etc are all used to guide people through a space.
 |
| Personal sketch |
This method is called Way Finding. Way Finding can be described as "Wayfinding can be defined as spatial problem solving. It is knowing where you are in a building or an environment, knowing where your desired location is, and knowing how to get there from your present location."
 |
| Hospital Way Finding Using color and light |
 |
| Personal Sketch |
Airports and Hospitals are prime example of how way finding MUST be premeditated and planned out for these spaces. For hospitals signage is critical. When my sister-in-law was going into labor with my niece, I remember rushing to the hospital. Again this was another time where I was stressed out and panicked I wouldn't make it in time. When I arrived to the hospital and walked in I had no sense of direction, I didn't know where the elevator was, It was a large space, and there was not a sign to tell me where an elevator was, what floor labor and delivery was, or where the front desk was to ask. It's hard to imagine the melt down I would have had if it would have been something more serious like my mom being there due to an emergency. To avoid issues like this many Hospitals use colors, lighting, along with clear signage to direct visitors to their proper destination.
Airports have thousands of people traveling through them every day. I was raised traveling through the Atlanta airport. This being one of the largest airports in the world, its safe to say I can navigate most other airports without a hitch these days. However, universal signs are a requirement. People who are traveling through international airports where they don't understand the native language get by simple by the signs telling them what direction to go in.
Comments
Post a Comment