The Benefits of Digital Wayfinding

When someone steps into an institution or establishment, it can be in any number of capacities: as a visitor, customer, student, client, or patient. Each individual may have a different purpose for being there, but they all have one thing in common: they want to get where they’re going, quickly. Whether it’s finding a store, the correct classroom, the right service, or a specific person, people want to get from A to B with as little fuss as possible.

There won’t always be someone at hand who knows the way and can provide helpful pointers. Likewise, static “You are here” maps at the front door can lead to confusion or frustration, especially when they aren’t updated after a change in location. A better solution? Digital wayfinding can both keep pace with revisions and dynamically guide a visitor to the right location.

An interactive, graphical guide for retail establishments

In retail settings, digital wayfinding provides a simple interface allowing customers to interactively locate a store and navigate there with ease. Even during daytime hours in well-lit stores/malls, the bold and bright face of a digital wayfaring map serves as a beacon for lost visitors.

Wayfinding is also effectively an ambassador for a store, especially in larger retail establishments like shopping malls, where a wayfinding map makes an important first impression on potential customers. The easier and more engaging the technology can make the visitor experience, the more customers and sales individual stores are likely to see.

The importance of wayfinding in healthcare

People are more important than profits, but digital wayfinding is a way to keep them both healthy. A visit that concerns health can be stressful enough without struggling to find the way, so employing the technology in hospitals and healthcare facilities can be viewed as a first step in patient care. This is especially crucial in larger facilities, as nearly one-third of first-time visitors to hospitals get lost. What’s more, even around 25% of hospital staff are uncertain about key locations.

Digital wayfinding can potentially lower costs and drive ROI, given that the average cost of missed appointments per year is a staggering $150 billion.

In addition, the technology can be used to display more than directions. Helpful health information, estimated wait times, upcoming inoculation clinics, and other crucial information can be communicated on the interactive digital screens that enable wayfinding.

Digital wayfinding is a smart move in education

Educational buildings have a degree of foot traffic that can be, to say the least, chaotic. Different subjects in numerous different classrooms – with everything subject to last-minute cancelation or relocation. The days of students and faculty struggling to find their way to class on time are behind us with digital wayfinding in schools.

The use of web-based wayfinding allows a digital map to be as dynamic as the most hectic day at school. Real-time updates allow visitors, students, and faculty to find their way accurately regardless of any recent changes to class or department location. Wayfinding also contributes to campus safety. In the event of an accident or emergency, the technology is in place to guide individuals to a place of safety. Law enforcement or medical response teams will likewise be able to use it when providing emergency response.

The durability of digital wayfinding

Any information which takes digital form automatically gains a few advantages. There’s no more fading, damage, or costly and slow alterations to physical maps. Digital maps are weather- and age-proof, and can be adjusted with a single click of a mouse.

Since it’s common for a wayfinding map to be outdoors, even digital displays have to face the elements of rough weather and bright sunshine, as well as the prospect of being defaced by vandals. These problems are overcome by utilizing the right housing for a wayfaring guide to make sure it’s always bright, visible and protected from damage.

Digital wayfinding empowers people. It can promote better health, drive educational growth, help people stay safe, and boost ROI, all while creating convenience and driving efficiency. What’s more, an interactive digital experience can flow throughout your entire business model with a range of options limited only by your imagination.