A building where everyone gets lost is not a building with bad signs. It is a
building where the paths contradict the plan.
The hospital that does not make sense
Long corridors that all look the same, signs every 30 feet that all say
different things, and anyone walking for the first time will turn the wrong way
at least once.
What the architect drew was a grid: corridors going north-south and east-west,
each one the same. What the walkers need is a landmark: something that looks
different, that marks a boundary, that tells them which side they are on.
The rule that works
The building should tell you:
- Where you are now
- Where you can go from here
- What is in each direction
A successful building has landmarks at decisions—places where you choose a
path. A landmark is not a sign. A sign is a label on a landmark. A landmark is
a color, a change in architecture, a view, something different.
The building that works
The library I grew up in had:
- A main desk in the center, always visible
- Different colors for different levels
- Large windows that told you which side faced the street
- Furniture that defined spaces
You could orient yourself by standing still, and you could remember where you
were by remembering what color the space was.
What signs cannot fix
A maze of corridors with signs on every wall is still a maze. The signs tell
you where you are but not why you ended up here instead of the path you meant
to take.
The counter-example
The subway station that is the opposite: no signs, no landmarks, and everyone
knows where they are going because the paths only go to one place. There are
no choices to make.
What I learned
Wayfinding is not about information. It is about structure. A building where
you cannot get lost is not a building where you are told constantly where you
are. It is a building where you cannot make the wrong choice.
The sign is what you read when the building has failed to tell you where you
are.