Top 6 Industries That Benefit From Digital Wayfinding? Part One

In our ever-advancing digital era, traditional wayfinding and static signage pale in comparison to their digital counterparts. Not only is the traditional approach far less engaging, but it also lacks the ability to truly serve the needs and desires of your patrons. In an age when visitors are accustomed to (and usually prefer) interacting with digital displays, if you want to reach your audience on their level, it’s time to jump on board with the digital trend.

At Oppna Digital, we’ve designed and implemented digital wayfinding directories in a wide variety of facilities, both in the U.S. and abroad. Below, we’re covering three of the six industries in which our cutting-edge technology thrives. Stay tuned, because we’ll be going over industries four, five, and six in the upcoming extension of this post.  

Digital Wayfinding in Healthcare Facilities

If you’ve ever found yourself in a congested hospital, you know just how hectic and stressful it can get. In the fast-paced, high-stress environment of an emergency medical facility, digital wayfinding offers tremendous value, not only for patients and visitors but also for facility staff. With interactive digital wayfinding hospitals can:

●        Reduce visitor confusion and stress through interactive mapping and text-to-phone, real-time directions throughout the facility.

●        Implement crash cart notifications to alert staff of incoming emergency patients.

●        Relieve strain on staff members by allowing patients and visitors to use self check-in and self-navigation.

●        Integrate with EMR (Electronic Medical Records) software.

●        Display important updates and events.

●        Share training opportunities and facility information.

●        Broadcast facility-wide emergency messaging.

When implemented strategically, digital wayfinding helps increase patient and visitor satisfaction, relieves stress on hospital employees, and maintains a more organized traffic and information flow throughout the facility.  

Wayfinding Signage Systems in the Transportation Industry

Ever been in a major airport during peak travel hours? What a nightmare, right? Travelers scurrying frantically to board their flights, confused tourists wandering around, umpteen retail outlets and dining options—it’s enough to make your head spin. But digital wayfinding can change that.

Interactive digital signage helps airports solve two of their most pressing problems: navigation and communication. With digital displays, airports can improve the traveler experience by allowing guests to easily locate parking spaces, flight gates, dining options, and flight status information. But the benefits don’t stop there. With digital wayfinding, airports can also:

●        Encourage traveler spending by highlighting the various retail, dining, and entertainment options available.

●        Decrease traveler wait times by using data to optimize the flow of foot traffic on congested routes.

●        Disseminate important information throughout the facility in a matter of seconds (think: emergency notifications).

●        Easily communicate with foreign-language speakers and the hearing impaired.

Furthermore, digital wayfinding directories offer long-term cost savings when compared to their print counterparts. Depending on the size and traffic volume of an airport, updating print directories can cost a bundle—we’re talking six figures in some cases. And that’s not an annual figure, that’s only for a single update!

Bottom line? In the long run, digital wayfinding saves airports money, creates additional revenue opportunities, and, most importantly, increases guest satisfaction.

Campus Wayfinding in Universities

Nowadays, major university campuses are massive. And by massive, we mean they might as well apply for their own zip code they’re so huge. But, even if a campus isn’t quite so gargantuan, it can still be a challenge to navigate the property and the various buildings contained within.

Understandably, new students, campus visitors, guest educators, performers, and whoever else visits or frequents a college campus can feel confused, even intimidated, by the thought of navigating it. Digital wayfinding can change that.

Implementing interactive digital signage and wayfinding makes property navigation simpler than ever. With interactive mapping, users can locate their desired destination in a matter of seconds and immediately send text-to-phone directions to their mobile devices. With turn-by-turn navigation in the palm of their hands, students, faculty, and campus visitors should have zero difficulty navigating the property.

Even better, because campus populations—both students and faculty—are more mobile agile than ever, digital wayfinding technology offers unmatched appeal and engagement opportunities for campus audiences. Beyond navigation, digital wayfinding kiosks also offer college campuses the ability to:

●        Distribute important campus news and updates on multiple channels throughout the facility.

●        Advertise revenue-boosting events, such as seminars, concerts, and sports games.

●        Increase staff efficiency by allowing students and campus guests to take advantage of electronic self check-in rather than visiting the building’s administrative desk. 

●        Display real-time information about dining options, weather, meetings, and any other topics that frequently change throughout the day.

●        Save considerable funds on printed directories and promotional advertising materials.

●        Library search for specific books or products on the shelves with personalized turn-by-turn directions to the location. This will include integration with Library software.

●        Integrate wayfinding and mapping to an existing University Mobile App.

Can Digital Wayfinding Enhance Your Facility? Learn More From Oppna Digital

At Oppna Digital, we design, build, implement, and maintain custom interactive wayfinding solutions for businesses in a wide variety of industries. If you own or manage properties in the medical, transportation, universities or entertainment sectors including retail, malls or hospitality, our digital signage and wayfinding solutions can help you better connect with your customers, encourage repeat business, and ultimately, drive additional revenue.

To learn more about how we can help you bring your facility into the tech-driven age, give our team a call at 651-237-5677 or reach out to us on our contact page. Ready to witness the capabilities of digital wayfinding for yourself? Feel free to request your product demo today!