How to give better directions?
Giving verbal direction is a dying art, now that most of us navigate by smartphone. But sometimes there's no substitute for human instructions to get oriented and on your way.
Mawson Trail, SA
What is wayfinding?
Wayfinding represents the planning and decision-making aspect of navigation.
It is a key component of the Jarrahdale Trail Town project, designed to enhance the visitor experience. In July 2021, a branding and guidelines was adopted, providing a clear visual identity, including for supporting the development of street signage.
Not all directions are equally helpful
Research has established that mobile navigational devices make us less proficient wayfinders, with lower spatial cognition, poorer wayfinding skills and reduced environmental awareness.
While most digital navigation systems (such as Google Maps) give directions based on precise quantitative information, humans describe destinations relationally – they might just point you in the right direction with a simple gesture, few words, mentioning a landmark. Psychologists argue that people navigate best via their own knowledge of landmarks against a larger landscape.
The key to provide directions is to mention the easier-to-find object first, whether that's the destination or a landmark.
Wayfinding strategies
In fact, we don’t need precise turn-by-turn information at all. Without a GPS device, most people will simply head in the direction that they know the goal to be, using the street sign network, or directions given to them by humans, or both – even if that means taking a slightly longer route.
Digital platforms + street sign network + landmarks + humans = we develop personal wayfinding strategies using a combination of tools
Wayfinding field of research has direct applications for artificial intelligence – for instance, imagine Siri™ scanning for landmarks in a scene and pointing them out to you first...
Through incremental implementation, wayfinding in Jarrahdale will continue to answer the question: how to give better directions?
