Anyone who visits airports, shopping centres, hospitals, and other large public places will know the frustration when entering an unfamiliar building and not knowing which way to turn – especially if you’re pushed for time.

Wayfinding is not only an essential part of the customer experience, it is also an often underestimated factor when it comes to efficiency and profitability, as the easier the customer finds their way around, the more relaxed they will be, and the more likely they are to spend more time and money.

The costs of installing and maintaining digital systems are inevitably higher than traditional (static) alternatives. However, the benefits of digital are fundamental to the modern and fast paced technology savvy audience of today; added to which, they are much easier to manage via easy-to-use content management systems (CMS), thereby ensuring content is always up to date.

Digital navigation is flexible, it can display interactive maps, information about loyalty schemes and offers, opening hours, flight times, and pretty much anything you want to communicate to your audience.

There are many different options for the hardware too, and while some shopping centres and airports have opted for large pods set up at T-junctions throughout the building, others have chosen to integrate tablet sized touch screens in strategic positions, such as wall mounted screens, across the building.

Digital wayfinding should now be a vital consideration in the construction of new buildings, including universities, train and bus stations, and hospitals. It is something that should be on every managing director’s, centre manager’s and chief executive’s radar.

Click here to find out more about digital wayfinding from Interdirect.

Interdirect love this distinct and playful new way-finding created by Landor Associates for Great Ormond Street.

The work is part of pro bono work the company is doing for the Childrens’ Hospital and is in two stages, the first of which was implemented in 2010. The second, for the Morgan Stanley Clinic Building designed by Llewelyn Davies Yeang, is due to be completed in late 2011.

The first project consisted of each hospital building (there are six) being given a colour identity to make the navigation through the various buildings clearer, and less stressful, something vitally important for any hospital.

The second project involves a way-finding system based on the natural world with a variety of different characters from the animal kingdom placed across the building. The system is designed to help parents and children alike, find their way around, whilst also adding a playful element to the clinical surroundings of the hospital and hopefully putting the children more at ease.

Interdirect is delighted to announce the go live of a new Website for Nottingham based shopping destination Victoria Centre.

The Marketing team at Victoria Centre were delighted with the project, stating that the Interdirect team had been consistently quick to help and assist efficiently with all their queries.

In addition, the website was created using Interdirect’s most recent content management system (CMS), Site Machine v5. This version of Interdirect’s signature CMS is even more user friendly than previous versions and removes the need for having separate screens open with cms overlays on the live site.

Julia Matthews, the Commercialisation Coordinator at Victoria Centre, stated that:

"The system made making amendments to retailers, adding events and generally keeping the website looking fresh, a very easy and quick process."

www.victoriacentre.uk.com

This month Interdirect went live with a brand new website for Salisbury’s most stylish shopping centre, Old George Mall. The elegant and easy-to-use website now takes the number of centres that Interdirect works with up to 18, further bolstering its reputation as a leading provider of innovative digital solutions to the retail sector.

Old George Mall is situated in the heart of historic Salisbury, with an array of cafe’s and popular high street stores. It wanted a website that could operate both as a stylish showcase for the centre and offer an access point for the community to discover what the town has to offer.

Hywell Jones, Old George Mall’s retail liaison manager said:

“We wanted a website which communicated the approachable elegance of the Old George Mall with every aspect of its design and usability.

Interdirect’s expertise in the retail sector meant we were delighted for them to create our website but the final result still managed to surpass our expectations - not just in terms of the website itself but also in terms of the project process and its delivery.”

www.oldgeorgemall.co.uk

These two designers have posed a simple question and come up with an equally simple and incisive solution.

Mike & Maaike have created a series of way-finding wallpapers based on the system of symbols produced through the collaboration between AIGA and the U.S Department of Transportation in the 1970’s.

These symbols have become some of the most widely recognised in the world but are often only displayed according to function. Mike & Maaike recognised however that by incorporating them graphically into wallpaper they could create something both decorative and functional – a form of way-finding that moulds to the space rather than being placed in it.  

http://rollout.ca/wayfinder.html

This is a brilliant way-finding solution for Guardian News & Media from the award winning Cartlidge Levene. It is beautifully simple and manages to be both playful and effective.

www.cartlidgelevene.co.uk