WHAT IS WAYFINDING?

Wayfinding is a process by which people understand and make decisions about navigating architectural and urban spaces. Generally speaking people find their way around a complex or unknown environment by a process know as cognitive mapping, creating a mental directional image of a place which improves over time in the new or complex location. Wayfinding is the name given to the process of putting the right information in the right place (via signs) in order to provide the viewer with an easy journey through a new or difficult environment.

Wayfinding must be intuitive to enable people to quickly understand the sign and find the place they wish to patronize or experience. People do not want to spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to navigate locations. If not intuitive, people can become frustrated with their experience and may change plans.

HOW WAYFINDING WORKS

Wayfinding is best when it utilizes a simple set of colors and symbols.

The program provides many benefits to the community, including artistic benefits by creating signs that incorporate the community's artistic description; public safety benefits directing drivers the locations they are looking for and providing consistent sign types clearing out unnecessary signage; and the program provides community benefits by helping to develop a community identity.

An effective program could be designed to identify specific "areas" such as a "Shopping Area" or what locals refer to as the "Y" Area, the Bijou District, Ski Run Blvd, Conference Center and so on or the program could focus on types of activities (Government, Recreation, Museum, Boating/Marina, and so on).

WHAT WAYFINDING ISN'T

Wayfinding signs do not advertise a specific business; they don't add clutter to the streets (they reduce clutter); the signs are not just for the visitor (they identify areas of interest to locals and visitors alike).