The Wayfinding Theory of Information Design

Wayfinding is a particularly effective theory of information design. In the Jacobson text, Passini provides examples of wayfinding as more physical navigation… or moving people from one location to another… “-the design of information for helping people find their way around in complex settings.” – Passini p.84. Even though accomplishing this with the use of signs and maps would seem logical, Passini cautions that “…the objective of information design for wayfinding is not to design signs but to help people move efficiently to their chosen destinations.” Passini p.87. There is a clear distinction between graphic design and information design in the article. According to Passini, the role of the graphic designer is almost reduced to simply making something look good. It has been my experience over 16 years working as a graphic designer that more thought goes into graphic design than what one might think. “Graphic design over the last few decades has tended to emphasize appearance and give expression to certain contemporary aesthetic values… Information design, on the other hand emphasizes communication and is as concerned with content as with form.” Passini p.85

One of the pitfalls I see for wayfinding is something I am reminded of everyday as I drive to work. The expressway I take has an overhead electronic sign that alerts drivers to hazards, accidents, construction, etc.

Most of the time (95%) the sign is “off”… meaning there are no messages being displayed. The other 5% of the time, when there is a message, it is often over-looked for the simple fact that drivers tend to assume there will be no message, so they don’t bother looking at the sign everyday. Another downfall of this type of wayfinding device is that it is stationary. Let’s say there was an accident 10 miles up the road, but yet traffic is flowing smoothly at the point where the sign is located. If the message alerting drivers to the accident is lengthy, most of the information will be missed as motorists zoom by without reading the sign only to get frustrated when they reach the traffic jam closer to the accident. A more effective solution would be a mobile electronic sign.

The advantages of this type of device are that it would create a new visual element in a location where it wasn’t seen before. Something new tends to stick out in the familiarity of day to day life. Also, positioning this sign closer to a construction zone where traffic would tend to be slower would give drivers a chance to read the information. On the other hand, positioning the sign further back down the road, would also give drivers a chance to find an alternate route and avoid a potential rush hour slow down.

Wayfinding can also be implemented online as there are many similarities between physical navigation and website navigation. It is always my goal when I create web sites that the layouts are not only well designed but also easy to get around. There are a number of “rules” to follow in web site design. Navigation or links to other pages in the site are usually found at or near the top and can be either displayed horizontally or vertically. Bread-crumb navigation is often used in larger sites with many layers of page levels to help a user get back to a particular page they were just visiting, or to see how they got to a location on the site.

This blog is also an example of this theory. Although blog navigation is unique to the world wide web in that it catalogs and archives posts and entries, it is still the responsibility of the designer (or blog creator) to provide properly labeled post titles and other information that will allow the readers of the blog to gain access to the information they want to find out about. Even though best practices can be followed in creating online content, Passini states that “The ways people read and understand messages vary with the task and the individual.” Passini p.86. Nothing is truer than that statement. I am in agreement when I find that certain age and societal backgrounds of individuals “make responses to information more complex”. Passini p. 86. I do my best to ensure I meet the requirements of not only the customer but the expectations of the end users as well. After all, you can have the best looking site (or blog) online, but what good is it if no one can find the information they are looking for?

Works cited:
Jacobson, Robert Information Design The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1999

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