Wayfinding: The Problem of Directories
Most "You Are Here" maps are designed cognitively backwards. They rely on an alphabetical (and often categorized) directory of destinations, each of which is assigned a number. Even though nearly everyone will look at the map first, the design requires you to begin at the directory: Find the name of your destination, note its corresponding number, then find that number on the map. This is fine as long as you are the one person in twenty who will look at the directory first you already know the name of the destination For everyone else, the number-and-directory arrangement is at best needlessly awkward. And you are out of luck if you want to know what that four-story building ahead of you is or are hurrying to identify the store next to the bathroom. You can puzzle out the answer with the directory eventually, but only after a lot of work. My approach is to make directories optional by putting the names of destinations right there in position on the map itself. This eliminates the need to look in two places for one piece of information. John Boykin, Creative Director 650-802-9998; info@wayfind.com
ORIGINAL				REDESIGNED
Above is a portion of San Jose State University's OLD campus map. Its main problems are: Numbers: Most buildings are identified only by a number, forcing you to consult the directory--which is alphabetical, so you must already know the name of the building you need to identify. Visual dominance: The dominant visual elements are the grass, sidewalks, and building shadows, none of which are of much value for wayfinding.				Above is the corresponding portion of my redesign of the map. Names: Each building is identified on the spot, making the directory optional. Visual dominance: The grass, sidewalks, and shadows are toned down so the building names can be the dominant visual element. Floors: Since the easiest way to tell buildings apart on site is to count their floors, black building shadows are replaced by indications of how many floors each building has.

	Categories Nearly all shopping center YAH maps, like the one shown below, list stores under categories, such as shoes, jewelry, food, and so on. This is fine as long as you want to see a list of, for example, all of the shoe stores you happen to mentally categorize stores the same way the mapmaker did A handful of categories can be genuinely useful, but no two people would categorize a hundred stores the same way. Once the mapmaker has filled the few obvious categories, the rest of the categories become utterly arbitrary. For example, various shopping centers list Victoria's Secret respectively under A for Apparel, Women's C for Clothing, Women's F for Fashion S for Specialty Apparel W for Women's Clothing So, if you are looking for Victoria's Secret, your task is first to guess which category the mapmaker listed it under, then find that category, find the store listed, note the number, then finally find it on the map. Our approach is to eliminate the guessing game by putting both the needed information at the spot on the map itself, as in the example below.
ORIGINAL Numbers: Stores are identified by numbers, forcing shoppers to consult a separate directory. This awkward approach makes it needlessly difficult for people to find stores, yet is standard in shopping center You Are Here maps. Directory: You can't identify anything without consulting the directory. Shapes: The shapes and sizes of stores are shown in detail even though that information is of little value for wayfinding and distracts the eye from the map's purpose: store identifications.
REDESIGNED At right is the corresponding portion of my redesign of the map. Store names: Shoppers no longer have to look in multiple places to get the information they need about a store. Numbers are eliminated, so the directory becomes optional. Visual dominance: Shoppers need only a functional representation, not strict architectural accuracy. This design eliminates distractions and inefficiencies, allowing store names to dominate. Categories can be shown, if desired, with icons. This shows one such use. It is very easy to pick out all of the shoe stores, for example, even without a categorized directory.
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