5 Signs It's Time to Upgrade Your Wayfinding System
From airports to healthcare facilities, every commercial building or complex can benefit from the navigational advantages a proficient wayfinding system can provide. And in today’s technologically advanced world, offering your customers, clients, or visitors a mere directory or elevator map to help them find their way just simply isn’t cutting it.
This rings especially true when you consider the fact that 60% of U.S. businesses report a 10% or more increase in their average sales figures after updating their wayfinding system or digital signage displays. But how do you know exactly when your current wayfinding strategies are in need of some improvement? To offer your customers and guests the most effective navigational resources possible, here are five signs that it’s time to upgrade your current wayfinding system.
1) Is Your Wayfinding System… Interactive?
The first way to determine whether your wayfinding system is by assessing how interactive it is for its users. Your wayfinding strategies should consist of more than stationary signs pointing visitors in various directions; it needs to provide a digital platform designed for users to answer their own questions, whether it’s finding the nearest restroom or accessing an overseeing map complete with accompanying navigational symbols.
In short, clients or guests should be able to have some semblance of control with your digital wayfinding system, rather than simply being an interpreter of directions.
2) Does Your Wayfinding System Provide… Real-Time Updates?
Closed offices. Emergency notifications. Blocked corridors. What good is telling somewhere where to go if you can’t inform them of any abrupt changes that could impede their path? Another tell-tale sign to enhance your current wayfinding designs is ensuring it’s equipped to provide users with real-time updates.
With today’s digital wayfinding solutions, your digital signage or interactive kiosk displays can serve as digital debriefers that can not only guide users in the right direction, but keep them informed on any and all important and relevant information.
3) Does Your Wayfinding Design Have… Professional Support?
From correcting technical difficulties to maintaining its pristine condition, proper wayfinding maintenance is the key to any successful digital wayfinding system. If performing simple maintenance tasks to keep your wayfinding designs intact is easier said than done, then it’s certainly time for an upgrade.
This is where working with a reputable wayfinding design company will pay off, gaining you access to a professional support system that can equip your digital wayfinding system with everything from automated performance tests to manual content upload options. If you’re looking to experience the pure joy of being able to ‘set it and forget it’, be sure to seek out a wayfinding maintenance support team that will ensure your digital wayfinding system is operating at peak performance.
4) Is Your Wayfinding System… ADA Compliant?
Wayfinding designs need to keep everyone in mind when determining its accessibility and user-friendly features. From the height and placement of your wayfinding signs and digital displays to implementing Braille or tactile lettering options, going above and beyond when it comes to accessibility will ensure that every user will feel welcome.
If your current digital wayfinding designs are lacking complimentary features such as voice recognition software or language translation options, then it’s certainly time to improve your wayfinding system.
5) Does Your Wayfinding System Provide… Analytic Reports?
One of the more frustrating aspects to older wayfinding systems is the lack of knowledge when it comes to determining how satisfied users are with its design. With newer digital wayfinding designs implementing advanced metrics and analytics into its operations, you can finally access detailed reports that allow you to track how much time users are spending on your display, as well as provide them with more user feedback capabilities to ensure their satisfaction.
Having access to these analytics will allow you to see which areas of your digital wayfinding system are successful and which can be improved.
Custom Wayfinding Strategies From Oppna Digital
It’s never a bad time to assess your current wayfinding designs to see if there’s any room for improvement. At Oppna Digital, we work with clients from all industries to ensure they’re providing their customers or visitors with exceptional wayfinding technologies and resources.
When you need custom wayfinding strategies that are designed to suit you and your clients’ needs, contact Oppna Digital today to learn more about how interactive digital wayfinding solutions can change your business for the better.