Lost and Found: Effective Wayfinding
In many of the projects DeShazo Group has gotten involved with over the years we have had to consider how an individual accesses a particular development. In this article we will discuss how a driver travels to and arrives at their destination based upon their navigational method. In a future article we will discuss how the motorist navigates through the development. The way that the user interacts with the building will be contingent upon which direction they are coming from or the way they are traveling. Wayfinding starts before a driver arrives at a campus. What navigational tools is that driver going to use in order to get where they are going? Are the tools a set of mental images regarding the understanding of how they will travel someplace? Is it the signage that they follow to get them where they want to go? Is it Google or Waze giving them point by point directions?
When that driver is at their starting point a common thing many will do is check their GPS. That checking can include using apps such as Waze and Google Maps, the two I have on my phone. However, a cursory search on the internet will bring up at least 22 additional options, some of which might be discussed in a future article. The map that comes up might show two or more routes to a destination based upon the time it will take, the directness of travel, the number of turns, etc...Those apps have served to save a lot of time for the driver in avoiding traffic problems. Sometimes however, when a motorist has reached the edge of a major development with multiple entrances such as a university or a hospital or even a major mixed-use development, they might experience confusion as to where to enter. If there are multiple entrances they are approaching, the navigational app might speak an instruction that the driver misinterprets, causing them to turn too soon or beyond their destination.
If a driver is approaching a destination relying upon mental clues from what they have been told or remember, they are going to be relying on those and signage to tell them where they need to go. Sometimes informational signage about a hospital or major tourist attraction from a freeway or major thoroughfare indicating the direction one should travel can be critical for the motorist to know where they are going. When they reach their destination is there a discernable landmark that they can associate to as the indication that they have "arrived"? Does signage exist that provides instruction as per which entrance to enter a campus based upon where the driver is going?
How does good road signage contribute to driver safety?
Good signage plays a significant role in ensuring driver mental well-being and road safety. According to Ginni in an article entitled Navigating the Roads Safely: The Vital Role of Road Traffic Signage | by Ginni | Medium there are ten different functions of road signage. We will focus on a few of them here as it pertains to the driver reaching their destination.
1. Signage diversity - While regulatory and warning signs each have their purposes, informative signage provides information about, as well as direction to nearby destinations. Informational signs provide guidance and help drivers make informed decisions. Whether this is knowing which access point to turn into a property to quickly reach a hospital's emergency room or the best route to take to reach one's designated parking area for a concert at the auditorium, good informational signage will reduce driver stress, and make the road safer for everyone.
2. Signage Guidance also provides clarity which can be helpful to a driver when there is much visual clutter on the road.
3. Symbols as Good Signage - There are symbols which transcend language barriers enabling a greater diversity of people to understand their meaning. The old phrase "A Picture is worth 1,000 words", will always have a useful meaning. In this case it will serve to benefit the driver's experience through simplification of the message.
Good effective wayfinding is a significant component of road safety. When a property owner gives attention to how to utilize that through signage and technology to interact with a driver, everyone benefits and the public and private environment is more enjoyable.
We are pleased to announce that our Parking Team has successfully obtained a parking reduction from the Board of Adjustment for our client, URBY Apartments. The parking study provided by the DeShazo Group played a crucial role in achieving this milestone. We would like to extend our gratitude to Marshall Hammack, the team lead in the parking division, for his excellent work. Congratulations on a job well done!
We are pleased to announce Marshall Hammack as the latest addition to DeShazo Group's team. With his background in commercial real estate, Marshall brings a fresh perspective and passion to the parking services offered by DeShazo Group.
Marshall will assist the DeShazo Group team by providing parking analysis services to its various private and public sector clients and helping the firm utilize the best technologies in the parking sector such as the DeShazo Group Shared Parking Model for Mixed-use Developments. The DeShazo Group team will look forward to continuing to serve your needs.
Marshall will assist the DeShazo Group team by providing parking analysis services to its various private and public sector clients and helping the firm utilize the best technologies in the parking sector such as the DeShazo Group Shared Parking Model for Mixed-use Developments. The DeShazo Group team will look forward to continuing to serve your needs.
A Momentous Milestone!
Congratulations to Onkar Dhondkar! DeShazo Group celebrates his recent successful passing of the professional engineering exam for the State of Texas! He accomplished this outstanding feat while being very engaged with managing and producing traffic impact analysis, traffic management plans, and other traffic engineering improvements. Thank you Onkar for your dedicated hard work!
Congratulations to Onkar Dhondkar! DeShazo Group celebrates his recent successful passing of the professional engineering exam for the State of Texas! He accomplished this outstanding feat while being very engaged with managing and producing traffic impact analysis, traffic management plans, and other traffic engineering improvements. Thank you Onkar for your dedicated hard work!