Cocawayfinding

After exploring the Cocawayfinding tumblr page, I was given a lot to think about in regards to our wayfinding set up and how we could best provide a solution to navigating the Mississippi St. Parking Garage. While most of the types of things the Cocawayfinding tumblr page listed as keys to sussessful wayfinding were somewhat common sense there were a few things that were listed that I realized could be easily overlooked. Many of the things listed almost seemed minor, but when I really got to thinking about how those small things could have an impact on a viewer or users experience I realized how impactful those little things can actually be. For instance the very first two things listed on the site were, “Be consistent with text and graphic devices and the location of signage throughout the system.” and “Use upper and lower case letters for highest legibility except in the case of single word signage.” When I read the first bullet point my first thought was that that was somewhat obvious, and I almost couldn’t understand why they needed to list that because I thought that would just be the kind of thing everyone does. When I read the next point I again thought that it made sense and wasn’t neccessarily all that important, but then I thought back to times when I’ve considered using all caps or all lower case on signs that have sentences and how ineffective that was for the project. Upon thinking about this I realized that even some of the things that seem obvious or not that important really can have a big impact. 

With these things in mind I continued to read the article paying close attention to everything I read, even if it seemed not very important. This site was excellent in providing a sort of checklist to make sure that all out choices in our own wayfinding project made sense and would be best utilized to truly solve the problem of people trying to navigate the parking garage.

Ethnography

Before reading these two articles I had never even heard of  Ethnography, and really had no understanding of what it could pertain to.  After learning what exactly Ethnography is I realize it is a very valuable tool of study, and that when utilized it can reveal a lot about society, the world we live in, and how to best solve problems and change things to enhance people’s lives. I think the most interesting thing about ethnography to me is the depth of this sort of study. More commonly than not, when a person is trying to solve some sort of problem, or improve on something that is already in place, they only observe what  is on the surface; looking at people’s basic actions or reactions, and using stereotypes or things that society generally holds to be true, without taking any extra time to really sit back and observe what is really happening. When people attempt to deal with issues like this, while they may sometimes get lucky, more often they end up with a solution that falls short because it only solves a surface level issue, instead of dealing with the bigger problem that can only be seen when you really take time to analyze the deeper issue. The depth of ethnography takes the neccessary measures to fill in many of the gaps that typical observation leaves open, and by closing these gaps with deep analysis provides an understanding that is much more useful. 

While reading these articles the pictrures that were utilized really caught my eye, and upon further thinking I realized just how important the sorts of pictures they used were to the article. In “An Ethnography Primer” part of the article talks about why you see the sorts of pictures you do when dealing with ethnography, and how these pictures that may seem almost basic in a way really illustrate reality, which is exactly what ethnography works to find.  I think it is so important that just like the pictures are made to show reality just as it is, ethnography looks to find the truth in patterns and tendencies of people and want to look past what is believed or thought, and instead observe what is true. By committing to take a deeper look at things and only deal with reality you come across a way of thinking that is very effective. If ethnography is continued to use and is expanded to be used more often finding solutions that truly solve problems for the long term will become much more commom place.

Testing Solutions

Common conclusions of people found in testing:
-The lines on the ground are a bit hard to see
- I really like the circulation tower with the colors around elevators to match sign directory
- A few directional signs either on the ground or walls could be really helpful

Possible Solutions (photoshopped by Jack Hoard)

Kansas Union Parking Signage Template

Wayfinding inspiration

                           

Wayfinding Possibilities

 Lines on ground indicate lanes and color indicates level of parking garage

 Color of lines on walls indicate level, while signs with direction orient to stairs, elevators, and exits

 Combine wall signs with lane marks

 Word Signs on ground indicating floor

Too much= overwhelming and confusing