"Wayfinding can be defined as spatial problem
solving. It is knowing where you are in a building or an environment, knowing
where your desired location is, and knowing how to get there from your present
location." [Reference]
As part of this investigation we decided to look
into the wayfindings utilised around the area of the viaduct, specifically
Wynyard Quarter. We opted to start at the I-Site information centre on Quay
Street. It seemed like a logical place that tourists or anyone needing
information on directions would start. As soon as we reached the building I
found my first problem with the use of wayfinding which can be seen in the
following 'Image #1'.
Firstly the map is positioned on the entrance to the building which means
if you're intending to view this you'd be blocking the entrance. However, that
won't matter at all because as soon as you approach the doors to have a look it
automatically opens, splitting the map into two halves! It's seems really
ridiculous and essentially useless. The unfortunate thing is this
position on the building of a centre that is supposed to specialise on
communicating information and as soon as I walk past I'm already questioning
there ability to do so effectively.
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| Image #1 - I Site - Quay Street |
As we continued on down the eastern side
of the viaduct it didn't take long for us to find a familiar wayfinder that
most New Zealanders would probably be familiar with. This is one of the
standard methods utilised by the council to show directions to popular
locations (Image #2). The arrows are very clear on the directions while
the text is legible and contrasting well against the dark blue.
The one problem I have about this is the map, is that it was quite small and if
I were intending to try pick out certain streets I would have a hard time. So I
imagine if someone a little older were to try look into it, they're going to
have even greater difficulty. However, as a whole the map isn't something
essential as long as you have processed the information above.
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| Image #2 - Direction Column |
As we
followed the directions from our second wayfinder we stumbled across a
commercial use of wayfinding that has gone wrong (Image #3). The store employs
this double sided sign on wheels that they push out to the main street in order
to draw business down the street and let the public know they're
there. However, if you read the subtext of the sign it says "Past the
Maritime Museum Entrance". The problem the museum itself is located
down the street by turning right, where as the sign itself was indicating you
to go forward with it's gigantic, eye-catching arrow. If people are to follow
the arrow which is the focal point of the design, they will be walking a while
before they realise they're not going to get to the Canterbury Store. Luckily
for them it isn't a permanent fixture and can be re positioned.
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| Image #3 - Canterbury Store |
Ignoring the previous the sign, we turned right
towards the Maritime Museum where we saw another directional column (Image
#4). This column had a much different visual look, despite being a council
sign. This was unfortunate as I was hoping to see consistency visually but the
only thing that was similar was the rectangular shape of the column. While this
column didn't have any arrows or anything to direct you forward
I found that it's map was a lot larger/clearer and it had annotations
pointing you directly to the common locations which i thought was helpful and
would save the viewer a lot of time. Continuing just past the following sign we
noticed a striking use of wayfinding this time on the ground surrounding. The
colours and bold lines/font instantly draw your intention into it. The text is
clearly read and
the arrow easily deciphered.
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| Image #4 |
The last use
of wayfinding we found was once we reached Wynyard Quarter (Image #6).
The design of this I thought was excellent for its intended purpose. It
contained everything that I thought the directional columns should of had. The
use of orange was extremely vibrant and I instantly looked at it and noticed
what it was. The white contrasts extremely well making the text legible. The
text itself is sans-serif, ensuring it's easy to read. Even the map itself has
been designed in that it works well with the over look and most importantly it
is large enough for you to be able to see not only where we are in regards to
the map but also the adjacent streets.
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| Image #5 - Eastern Viaduct |
Overall, while not only getting a bit of much
needed exercise we noticed an extensive and wide variety of wayfinders
alongside the viaduct. However, not all of them were that effective and
fulfilling their requirements.
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| Image #6 |
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