When customers first interact with your business, their initial experience in your physical space is important for developing their overall impressions. Wayfinding plays a crucial role in curating the experience you would like them to have in your built environment. As you are creating a wayfinding strategy for your business, it is important to consider the following ideas and questions to help build your wayfinding strategy.
With only three seconds to make a first impression, constructing a strong wayfinding strategy is one of the most crucial aspects of your built environment. By focusing on communicating your desired message in three seconds, you can ensure that your customers and clients are confident and comfortable in your built environment.
How to Build a Wayfinding Strategy
Where do I want my wayfinding to lead?
At its core, wayfinding is about laying out clear navigation through your space. When you begin building a wayfinding strategy for your business, it’s important to always keep this idea central to your strategy.
Does this signage clearly communicate my desired message?
Wayfinding signage can take three different forms: directional, identification and warning signs. Analyze the messaging you want to communicate throughout the space and divide the information into these three categories. Creating a strategy around these three categories will help you focus on the most important information to feature in your wayfinding.
Can I innovate around any architectural features in my space?
Designing a wayfinding strategy allows for exceptional creativity because you have the opportunity to build around architectural features in your space. Analyze the landscape of your physical space and contemplate how you can build signage and wayfinding into the built environment in question.
How can I build my brand into my wayfinding?
As you create your wayfinding, focus on ways to incorporate your branding. Your built environment plays a critical role in the physical experience of your business, so ensure that you do not miss any opportunities to innovate with your branding.
Can I make this messaging more simple?
When building a wayfinding strategy, it’s crucial to keep your messaging as simple as possible. As you develop your strategy, continue to look at it with an open mind and fresh eyes. Consult with those who have not seen your ideas yet to provide additional perspectives on how your messaging could be more clear.
Do I have an understanding of ADA compliance regulations?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) lays out regulations for signage in order to prevent discrimination against those with phyiscal or mental disabilities. Complying with the ADA standards can be an extensive and complex process, so consult with an ADA signage expert to ensure that your signage is accessible to all individuals.
Our team at Acorn Sign is passionate about the ADA and creating innovative signage and wayfinding that is inclusive and accessible to all who may interact with your business. We are ADA experts and center our mission around developing signage that is available to those of all ability levels. By focusing on the ADA in our work, our clients are assured that they are not only compliant with the ADA, but are also accessible to their maximum target audience.
Here at Acorn Sign, we focus on partnering with clients to create effective wayfinding in their built environments. If you would like to explore how you can curate better first impressions of your business through wayfinding, we have extensive experience in working with clients to develop their built environments. Contact us today at https://acornsign.com/contact/ for more information!
Sources:
https://www.designworkplan.com/read/wayfinding-introduction
https://fabrikbrands.com/the-wonders-of-wayfinding-design/
http://www.modelsignage.co.uk/blog/makes-good-wayfinding-strategy/