Syracuse Zoo Wayfinding

As a photojournalism major I often hit up our local zoo in the area. Syracuse Gifford zoo to take photographs nine times out of ten I often end up shooting the same thing I did the last time I was there yet I still wonder back there from time to time. One thing I like about our local zoo is the layout is basically just a big circle making the chance of getting lost not very well. The down fall is the bathrooms are in just one place in the main building at the start of the walk around.

I was wondering around the zoo one day, and as I approached the tigers it hit me. I really had to use the bathroom really bad thankfully there was a bathroom sign right behind me, but sadly the sign pointed both directions. The problem the sign did not say what way would get you there faster. Now I have been at this zoo many of a times, and knew the fasted way the problem when you’re in a pinch and gotta really use the bathroom usually your not thinking strait. I went the longer way and realized it about half way through needless to say I ended up going behind a tree after making sure no one was coming.

Passini stated “that objective of information design for wayfinding is not to design signs but to help people move efficiently to their chosen destinations” (Jacobson, 1999). Sadly Syracuse local zoo dropped the ball on this one.

“The most important skill for almost everyone in the next decade and beyond will be the ability to create valuable compelling, and empowering information and experiences for others.” (pg 267 Jacobson). This is a easy fix for the zoo, and proper signs around the zoo would make people more comfortable, that and installing another bathroom at the furthest part of the circle.

Graphic wayfinding has four main categories of elements first being orientation followed by directional information then destination identification; and finely situation and object identification. Signs are a great start without them would be like the United States having a judicial system without laws in place such as speed limits. However it does not just stop there at the law level you have to have people to enforce the law, and have a system to get the laws out to the people so they know what they are “road signs”. Then the signs are posted with mph so we know that going over that limit would be illegal.

The zoo installed a bathroom that’s a good start then they put up signs telling everyone there are bathrooms. They put little arrows up showing bathrooms this way, and have posted signs saying “no peeing outside indecent exposure is punishable by law (I ignored this one).” Where was the “posted mph” sign the one that says go this way, because the other would take longer and result in an accident. 

Information Design Taking Shape

Information Design can take many different approaches, and since there are so many different steps and approaches it would be best to first approach the client for a better understanding of the information their trying to get across. Baer, pp 32 suggest that a understanding of what audience the client is selling their approach too and what requirements the client has would be the best starting point.

Before any project can really begin to take flight everyone working on it has to be on the same page otherwise no one will know what the other is doing. To get everyone on the same page it is best to start with a four part basics most knowingly known as a creative brief. The first part is a outline so to speak of what the client is trying to get across. Next part is what exactly is the information that the client wants their customers to know. Next goals every brief will have goals and the third part puts into perspective the goals the client wants focused on. Lastly budget without the budget being known the project cannot move forward. The budget will allow the team players working on the project to have a better understanding of what is needed, and how much time can be spent on the project.

(Baer, pp 76) Suggest that every project needs tests for the project to be considered complete it need’s to be tested by a outside source. Information returned by outside testers would allow the project team to go back and change any information they feel needs to be re-written to fit the goals of the client.

References Cited:

Baer, Kim. “Information Design Workbook: Graphic Approaches, Solutions, and Inspiration”.

Massachusetts: Rockport Publishers, Inc, 2008. Print.

Wayfinding Theory

Information Design: The Wayfinding Theory

For seven years I drove trucks I have done everything from running fright around the corner from one building to another, and running freight across the country from coast to coast. I would love be to be able to say that the invention of the GPS made my life great, but those are made for cars not truckers for the simple reason that low bridges are not marked on them for starters. Wayfinding is what kept me from driving in circles for seven years. There are three major processes to way-finding it is these three steps that makes finding point A to point B possible. The decision making is step one followed by step too the decision execution, and finely the information processing that enables the ability to make, and execute the decision process (Jacobsen pg 88-89). This process like following a GPS has it’s good and bad components the pro’s and con’s that we dread so much.

PRO’S:

As described in (Gibson pg 13) provides direction in a complex world filled with cities.

If the thought of wayfinding makes you think of just signs you would be wrong it includes anything that directs you towards your destination.

CON’S

One con is not everyone needs the same amount of information in order to travel from one point to another. This can put a damper on the design for the computer cannot decide based on human thought.

Another con or flaw depending on your outlook on life is the fact that computers are not perfect, and getting a graphic design and architectural design to work hand in hand can be a problem.

Not everyone likes a little graphic designed car on a screen driving on a graphic city road with arrows telling you where to turn myself I would rather have words printed on the screen.

If you’re now thinking to yourself what is wrong with this guy I thought this blog was about information design then the answer is: No I have not gone mad. Information design and wayfinding can work hand in hand. Just as drivers and truckers alike rely on directions to figure out where they are going so doesn’t website viewers. I haven’t driven a truck in several years and now I work as a photographer my website I have been working on for some-time now. I want people to have the “Steve Jobs Apple” experience, and by that I mean I want my site to be user friendly I want people to feel at home not lost and left feeling like they never got to see any of my prints. Making websites essay to maneuver by simple direction sounds like such a simple task the reality is it is a task usually over looked. In my case if I overlook the way-finding process than I will not be selling prints and my rent will not get paid nor will I be eating.

The "ART" of information design

I titled the blog understanding information design, and what would be a better name is what information design is. To simply understand what it is would be to log into your computer and google the term, but to say what it is would be to give a basic understanding of what information design is and then continue to break it down as well as taking it different directions.

A simple answer would be “taking complex information and breaking it down,” but I am not an computer science major and I am not trying to break a major source code here. The idea of the class is to break down what we are seeing and reading everyday and understanding that the words and symbols are more than just that. It is all information design, designed to send a message.

Information designers come up with ways to get the message across whether its directions programmed into a car GPS or a poster hanging on the wall. Information has to do more than just display a message it has to grab your attain such as that little orange sticker on a bottle of pills. I mean I have a bad knee, back and I am visiting doctors all the time. Medications are prescribed left and right most I don’t take but some I do. The one thing I always read, because it stands out is the little orange sticker the one that reads warnings. That is information design the message was created by a designer.