The installation of digital screens can also expand an existing wayfinding system. In a conference facility, for example, small screens might be added to meeting room doors, to automatically display event names and short agendas where they are highly relevant, along with markers corresponding to graphics on digital maps elsewhere. In this way, screens become both visual cues for orientation and informational in nature.
Further, employees no longer have to print up sheets with event names, post them by hand near each meeting room every day and then remove them. Rather, all information can be updated and managed from a single, central location, which is especially helpful for large, complex facilities, such as hospitals. Wayfinding, after all, is not static; it is dynamic, based on the changing needs of the facility and its visitors.
Individual rooms can be equipped with their own small-format digital signs to list meetings and related information.
Another advantage of digital signage is interactivity. A visitor might scan a Quick Response (QR) code with a mobile device to check customized information on his/her location in relation to his/her destination. A tap of a touch screen can bring up a map for the entire route, along with dynamic arrows pointing in the right direction.
Preventing disorientation
At the end of the day, a good wayfinding system is appropriate to the facility and helps create a positive, stress-free experience for visitors. Maps need to be up-to-date, with clearly marked pathways to primary destinations. Graphics, symbols and other features need to be consistent, so as to provide effective visual cues.
When visitors understand the built environment around them, they feel a sense of empowerment and control. These are key factors for reducing anxiety, stress and disorientation.
Tom Graczkowski is creative director for Saturn Digital Media in London, Ont., which specializes in digital signage and media production services for hospitality, health-care, educational and corporate facilities. For more information, visit www.saturndm.com.
