“The wayfinding system is especially important because we have a lot of out of town visitors who are coming into the city and we have a couple different grid systems … and it makes getting around downtown for someone who’s not familiar a little confusing.”

“The last thing you want to do when you’re driving is sit there and worry about being able to get to your destination without getting lost. It’s part about visitor experience.”

“It also shows that the community is making an investment in the downtown to make it more attractive for business. The wayfinding system is really geared to solving problems for merchants and businesses.”

“It’s a visual system, a uniform system, and will get rid of a lot of visual clutter that will be coming down as the wayfinding system goes up.”

“Another factor is that we’ve got signs throughout the surrounding area, which helps to highlight our location which helps the marketing component of our community as well.”

“I think people, when they come into a community and see attractive signage, receive a positive impression for how the community speaks about itself.”

“It says that we’re open for business; it’s a multi-tiered positive that feeds back on itself, encouraging economic development because business owners will say ‘the community is interested in us as well because they’re helping people get to our businesses.”

“The last thing you want is a visitor to your town becoming lost, being frustrated or frustrated when they finally find the business they’re looking for. This is the goal of the system.”

While this interview was done entirely without Corbin Design’s assistance, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves!

Special thanks to Nancy Berggren and the Bath City Beat for reporting this story.

*Some comments edited for clarity

The article also cites multiple research sources that demonstrate the return on investment for brand and wayfinding communications.

Summary excerpt: “Careful planning, thoughtful design and broad participation will ensure that everyone is prepared to represent an organization’s brand in a consistent way. Each person must take responsibility for understanding brand language, logic and tools so that he or she can become the embodiment of culture in ways that reassure, instruct and support the visitor. This ensures an organization effectively fulfills its caregiving mission in the communities it serves.”

View the article here.

Note that this is a browser-based e-magazine. The article begins on page 22.

The session takes place on Sunday, September 25, 2011 from 3:45pm to 5:00pm.

Corbin Design’s President, Mark VanderKlipp, is privileged to share the stage once again with Rachel Downey of Studio Graphique. While she will be covering the Experience Design portion of the presentation, Corbin will be demonstrating, via the use of videos, visuals and articles, how cities and institutions are making connections between physical and digital wayfinding.

Following is a list of companies and individuals we’ve contacted to help create the presentation. Colleagues all, they’ve expanded our view of the possibilities of the digital realm in terms of what’s being done today to enhance visitor experience by pushing the edges of technology, and what’s coming tomorrow. A list of relevant articles also follows each section header, where appropriate.

Thank you for attending the session and please let Mark know if you would like more information, or to see the entire presentation.

Links to Physical Environment

Reference: Geocentric

Contact: Jim Blakeslee <jim.blakeslee@geocentric.com>

Raleigh, NC Mobile App

QR Tags

Article: QR Tags Can Be Rigged to Attack Smartphones

Washington DC BID Mobile App

Augmented Reality

Reference: Winfield & Co

Contact: Vijay Mathews <vijay@winfieldco.com>

Location-Based Services

Retail Innovations: 3rd Ward Shopbox
- Retail Experience of the Future
- Despite The Hype, Smartphone Users Aren’t Buying

Coupons: Groupon

Check In: Foursquare
- Foursquare Baseball Article
- Creative Review Article: Location, Location, Location

Games: Loopt

Big Players: Google Latitude

Mapping: Map Doodles

Reference: Forge Media + Design

Contact: Gregory Neely <gneely@forgeinc.ca>

NFC: Near Field Communications

Reference: Mitten Communications LLC

Contact: Rob Franzo <rob@mittencom.com>

Gartner’s Hype Cycle Places NFC at ‘Peak of Inflated Expectations’

To read the entire article, click on “Demonstrating Return on Investment” on the cover page

Excerpts:

“Early on in the project, even before we retained Corbin to assist in our wayfinding initiative, we tried hard to find data, measures, metrics that we could use to validate our business plan. We had to come to terms with the fact that we couldn’t put a value on the patient experience, or our success in managing the degree of change we anticipated. We had to ask ourselves ‘Is it the right thing to do conceptually? Is it going to benefit our patients?’”

“We knew that we should be concerned with the amount of staff time spent giving directions, but maybe we weren’t going to find a piece of data to validate this. Instead, we saw the potential improvements to the patient experience as an important part of our outward value proposition, and our internal core values. We then proceeded with managing costs and maximizing the value of the outcomes as the design process rolled out.”

Gundersen Lutheran's wayfinding system includes an interactive physician directory and static directories for wayfinding support

Once the team and tools were in place, a system of wayfinding signage could be designed and implemented. Rather than using old technology consisting of vinyl sign materials and considerable labor costs, Corbin designed a new system of interior signage using printable inserts. With this in-house capability, Gundersen Lutheran has seen significant improvements since the initial installation: Houser estimates that at least 50% of the original signage inserts have been redone at least 2 or 3 times. “If we hadn’t had that ability, we would have paid for new signage 2, 3 or 4 times over.”

Theresa Besse, an interior designer, adds: “The biggest time and money saver has been the methodology that was implemented for updates to signage. Prior to this new program launch, we used to try every way imaginable, hoping to stumble across a solution. Today, when a signage change is brought to our attention, we have the necessary tools to help identify weak points in communication, and make improvements to the systems that support communication rather than attempting to reinvent the program.”

“I can tell you that our customer service department finds the results of your work PHENOMENAL” Kari Houser, Director of Construction and Facility Planning, Gundersen Lutheran

Directional signage works in tandem with visual landmarks on patient floors

To quantify the return on the investment from an interior signage standpoint, supporting the old program using their internal sign shop was costing in excess of $55,000 annually for materials alone. In 2009, the first year the program was fully implemented, materials costs dropped to just over $15,000. But materials costs are not the only indicator of success; Houser says that “the methodology put in place is delivering a qualitative value far in excess of what we ever spent on signage.”

The success of the wayfinding program has had broad implications throughout the organization. Armed with the proper knowledge and tools, the Wayfinding Team works each day to build awareness of the importance of multiple communications to support the patient experience.

With all of the changes that Gundersen Lutheran has been making, it’s difficult to quantify the specific benefits of the wayfinding system. But the success of this program is due to the broad approach that the team took to the entire range of wayfinding communications, and the individual responsibility of people within the organization to build on the patient experience. The Gundersen Lutheran team has built a flexible infrastructure to manage the intricacies of massive change while always staying true to their mission and values. And that, for them, is priceless.

Link to the article here.

New Signs for Tourists Ignore Location Attractions that Couldn’t Pay

Given the spirit of the article and the public comments associated with it, we feel it’s important to add our point of view. It is instructive for any urban wayfinding program that seeks funding sources for wayfinding signage. The article showcases the difficulty inherent in a “pay to play” system: while we helped our clients design an equitable formula for inclusion, still most non-profits are simply unable to participate given the steep cost of entry relative to their budgets. From the standpoint of an STL taxpayer, the author’s point of view and many of the comments may seem justified – but need to be qualified.

First, the article focuses solely on vehicular wayfinding signage, and the primary destinations included on those signs. Given the constraints placed on signage in a public right of way (where the majority of these signs appear), it is physically impossible and technically not permissable to include many of the smaller destinations that the article mentions. Any sign that contains more than the federally-mandated 3-4 destinations will be visually overwhelming to a driver moving through space, focused both on the tasks of driving and navigating. Thus, we direct to the primary generators of visits within the St. Louis region: stadiums, The Arch, casinos and the like, of which 95% are represented in this system.

The abundance of natural, cultural, historic and entertainment options in the St. Louis Region require some physical tools to provide the “connective tissue” within and between destinations in the region.

But the program is designed for the first time visitor. So we’ve identified primary “Attraction Corridors” along which the majority of destinations reside. Any smaller destination need only communicate their location relative to one of these corridors, or one of the primary destinations noted on the signage. The ability to piggyback on the system is part of the design, but as always the need to communicate correctly falls on the destination. So, for instance, the article mentions the Campbell House Museum. Using the new wayfinding logic, one could direct visitors in this way:

“Exit I-70 or 40/64 on the Broadway Attraction Corridor. Turn west on Locust to 1508 Locust Street.”

There are many other sign types included in this system, designed to support wayfinding. Trailblazer signs to outlying destinations (e.g. Grant’s Farm), secondary vehicular guide signs, and a host of pedestrian-oriented signs to give both cyclists and walkers a sense for where they are, and what they might see and do in the area.

Commentary from the public mentions the Internet and GPS-based wayfinding devices. We wholeheartedly agree that visitors to St. Louis and surrounds will be using these tools as well, so one of our recommendations to the CVC is to create a single Web-based resource for wayfinding to which a destination of any size can link from their own Web site. This will be a low-cost way for those within STL to consistently direct to their location; any information related to single-vehicle, transit, cycle or pedestrian wayfinding would be disseminated through this site. It would also show parking opportunities in the vicinity of a given destination.

The abundance of natural, cultural, historic and entertainment options in the St. Louis Region require some physical tools to provide the “connective tissue” within and between destinations in the region. But the wayfinding signage is only one part of the visitor’s experience; by providing a physical and virtual infrastructure to communicate to visitors, the plan proposed to the CVC will allow destinations regardless of size to take advantage of the system with appropriate tools in the array, meeting their visitor when and where they most need the information. The task is one of building awareness among these destinations.

With this new wayfinding infrastructure in place, each venue regardless of size can locate themselves relative to the foundational elements: primary highways, attraction corridors and primary destinations. Drawing on these relatively permanent referents, the wayfinding system is at once comprehensible, infinitely expandable and simpler to maintain. In the long run, the goal is to give St. Louis residents, regional visitors and a host of other audiences simple tools to help them navigate this complex environment.

While wayfinding information directs an experience, it does not define it. The latter part is up to each destination; and this is where the true “Spirit of St. Louis” can shine through.

And now, the rest of the story:

An editorial posted in the January 6, 2011 Post-Dispatch clarifies and adds information to the article referenced above:

Pointing the Way: Help Visitors Find Everything St. Louis Has to Offer

Artdaily.org article

This article was recently posted on ArtDaily.org and picked up by a variety of related news sources. It pertains to the value of the wayfinding system we’re developing for the Glass Pavilion at the Toledo Museum of Art. Since we are still in preliminary planning and design stages, we have not posted any images of the project. Suffice it to say that we are honored to be associated with this institution, and are working diligently to both pay tribute to the spectacular architecture and assist everyday visitors in finding their way.

Link to the full article here.

Read the entire article here

Of course there are many challenges in an effort such as this. Bringing diverse and far-flung communities together will require a tremendous amount of communication and coordination. So the presentation culminated in an open discussion about how communities have approached this challenge, and what that might mean to us locally with the Grand Vision.

The session summary is located here, as well as an early AM interview by our local NBC affiliate.

Regional Identity Through Wayfinding

The Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa are home to many unique tourist destinations, such as Lagomarcino's.

The post features each mayor of the Quad Cities (actually five cities in two states) speaking to the value that the wayfinding system brings to their local area and the region as a whole:

1. “The idea for the wayfinding system has been a long time coming.  The system will be a wonderful addition to each city’s signage.  Not only will it assist visitors, but it will show the continued support the communities in our area have for each other. This is a progressive move that will benefit everyone.” City of Bettendorf Mayor Mike Freemire
2. “Wayfinding signage is a great idea for helping people navigate the riverfront and all the attractions the Quad Cities has to offer.  It’s another example of how cooperation among cities shows that we are all livable communities with a lot to offer visitors and residents alike.” City of Davenport Mayor Bill Gluba
3. “Those of us who have called the Quad Cities home all of our life know the boundaries of our cities, but for visitors it can be confusing.  The new Wayfinding system is an easy to understand, color coded system that will make our community more user friendly” City of East Moline Mayor John Thodos
4. “The new wayfinding system allows the Quad Cities to come together as one destination while preserving the unique characters of each community.” City of Moline Mayor Don Welvaert
5. “The Wayfinding System provides us with an excellent method of making the Quad Cities region more friendly and accessible to visitors to our area.  With our multiple jurisdictions and a river that runs east to west, the new signage will help newcomers find their way more easily, around our diverse and beautiful area.” City of Rock Island Mayor Mark Schwiebert

Corbin Design’s strategy involved developing a wayfinding icon that visually describes the orientation of the Mississippi to the cities in the region. This icon serves as a landmark of sorts, visibly identifying wayfinding elements from a distance.

For the complete story, including how community support and funding were managed, link to the blog post here:

People Get Lost and New Wayfinding System Will Fix That

Kudos to the Quad Cities CVB for the takeoff on our tagline!