Summary of Wayfinding project

The project was going smoothly for the most part, many of the team members were willing to exchange ideas and to work together in order to bring about a simple solution. We focused on one location that had three possible entrances and we made an idea with combining our strengths in order to see if we could achieve the results that we needed. Two of my teammates were good with Photoshop and illustrator so they were in charge of making the arrows and logos that we would need in the future, I was good at sketching so I was the one who did preliminary sketches here and there to see if the arrow idea would fit.
We all went to the location together at Wescoe and we photographed at different parts of the entrances to the Underground, the easy part was giving each other the photographs. This was done by using a group specific file on Google Drive which allows us to share, edit and save photos and diagrams that the others have made.
One difficult issue was the issue of meeting during that last week of the project, the first week went fine but the second week that we had was a disaster. We tried to meet on Friday of that week so that we could start building the final steps to the project. But the team could not figure out a good enough time to meet, so we ended up meeting at four thirty when the print shop and KU art shop were about to close. The teammate in charge of changing the logo had to go back in and redesign it. We couldn't print anything even though we managed to get our hands on some foam core. And I had to leave early that day because I had other homework and plans.
The next time we were supposed to meet was on that Sunday and nobody answered their cellphone when I tried contacting them so I was left in the dark on how they were proceeding with their parts. And when we DO meet I cant meet because they always met on a weekday where I had class and I couldn't make it to the meeting because class has top priority.
Another issue was the fact that our teachers were very vague about the project offering very little information and advice leaving us to mostly our own devices. This is usually good but when our professor cant provide us with enough info so that we are not wandering into the project blindly something is wrong.
Despite all these difficulties from what I can gather our project was successful in what we have, its not the best but the prototypes look like they can actually become part of the Underground. And our team wasn't that bad either, there was no conflict outside of the meeting time fiasco and the process book was easy enough to make.

Wescoe description

We originally chose the building of Wescoe which is the home of the English department, the entire building is consisted of floors and stairs. But then the group decided to focus specifically on the difficulty students face when it comes to navigating to the Underground. The Underground is on the first floor of the building and is a giant food court that students can gather at to eat socialize and study. There is even a gift shop and cafe inside the restaurant.

The issue with the Underground is that it has three entrances that it can be reached by, one in the building itself, one by going down the main stairwell outside near the beach of Wescoe and one on the side that leads the student into the exit of the restaurant. The issue with all three entrances is that none of them are marked, so if a new student is trying to find the Underground they will have a difficult time. There are no signs or arrows to guide the students, you either find it by pure luck or by having older students show you.

So we decided to guide the newcomers to the Underground by leaving visual clues at each of the entrances with the major emphasis being put on the main entrance on the first floor of Wescoe. Complete with new signs arrows and a few fliers here and there.

Define: Wayfinding

The actual definition: Wayfinding- The ways in which humans and animals orient themselves into physical spaces and navigate places.

Personal Definition: Wayfinding- The ability to navigate through unknown spaces using visual clues provided in order to reach the destination. The ability to imagine oneself in a specific space and using that as a way to find the location.

Wayfinding from Tumblr

Honestly I didn't even know that you could find design building tips on Tumblr but I was proven wrong. The text post is short and sweet but it is hard to read because of the white background blending in with the grey text.
The post on the blog reinforces the most basic points that past readings have already stated. A good pathfinder sets up a system that the user must rely on their skills rather than outside help. Signs are meant to be obvious and simple leading the user to the place that they are intended to go. They are meant to be simple and not distracting. This is also a point that leads back to the basics of design that emphasizes simplicity and good balance.
While it is tempting to make something based on ones own principles such as how one would take their own personal route to reach their location, the general population does not always think in the same way. It is the designers job to try and combine different ideas to reach one united idea that can be used by everybody. It is the designers responsibility to try and think like the normal person and create something that is easy and accessible.
The blog unfortunately takes the more obvious route with hinting at different ways that a designer can approach the wayfinding project. It suggests common things such as using symbols and signs and arrows. It also makes a huge point on making sure the markers are consistent in font, size, description and or approach. I personally have already seen this information in other readings before this project started and this information is nothing entirely new. But it is not a bad thing to remind yourself of what the goal of the project is and of the more easy ways to make the work load a little less.

Ethnography

As stated in the previous post, design is all about creating a product that can relate to the user who is using it. The design has to be simple and accessible and has to give the user confidence in their own skills to use it correctly. Ethnography is the study of people in environments, ethnographers interact with their subjects by asking them questions and studying them in their natural setting.

The first step in providing a good way to navigate a path without the use of a map is by identifying the most common way that the user gets lost. The next step is by interacting with those new to the environment and asking them common questions that should relate to one another in a way. The final way to make path finding successful is by taking the facts and details learned and providing a solution that guides the user in a non interactive way.

By helping the user make their own decisions by providing arrows and signs they can rely on their own navigation skills without actively seeking assistance. The best kind of path finding is by the user guiding themselves by using the hints provided for them instead of someone guiding them by the hand each and every time.

Interaction design sketchbook reading

The author of this small read tends to focus on the difference between humans and animals, saying that humans hold a design standard for everything that we do in life. By laying out the framework for a design before we start creating it helps us get the most basic steps down. And that the only true way for a designer to learn is by interacting with their environment and learning hands-on rather than from text books.
Technology is always evolving and makes our lives easier by providing us with quick and easy solutions to everyday problems. But maybe we are losing the one thing that makes designers important in this world. Our ability to imagine and to create, sure we can use our computers to map out solutions that we need. But without that ability to foresee the issues and solutions on our own, we cannot create something that is more alive than just being part of the architecture.
The author goes on to explain the major importance of being able to perceive the present and sketch it out by our own hands. That the most successful design is one that helps the designer interact with the user of the design in a way that is indirect. We must be able to design a product that can be used without the user having to ask questions and can use the product within immediate action.
To foresee the problem before hand and to interact with the environment, to guide the user without having to be actively there in a way that helps them grow dependent on their own skills. that is what true path finding is about, the intractability of the user and the product in a way that consciously leads the user to where they want to go.

Wescoes Issues (Pictures)

Problem 1: Besides the classroom numbers that every building has, the different halls do not have arrows or larger signs to show where to go. This is from the first floor, the walls are blank save for the classroom plaques making finding a classroom tedious if you don't know where to go.

 

 

 

Problem 2: This is also from the first floor, again the walls are blank and there are no billboards or signs on this floor to show where the classrooms are. Its easy to get lost down here leaving people who are new to Wescoe wandering for hours.

 

 

Problem 3: There are signs on the main floor of Wescoe, the largest being ones that show the way to the auditoriums that are situated on the outside of the building. While this is an easy way to find a way to the larger lecture halls, for the smaller classrooms on the lower and upper floors such signs such as this one do not exist.

 

 



Problem 4: This is again on the main floor of the Wescoe building, these signs are plastered on the entrance doors to show the way to the auditoriums such as the previous sign that was showcased above. No other signs are present for other classrooms making finding your way to a smaller class a bigger hassle.

 

 

Problem 5: This is the only sign of where the other rooms are located, they do not have any arrows to show which direction you should go. All it shows is the name of the class and which room the professor teaches in. I do not even know if such signs exist on upper floors but the first floor does not have a board such as this one. Again this is on the main floor.