Davis Centre Wayfinding Project

By: Scott Nisbet, Greg Stefan, Phat Ha

Overview

Introduction Methodology Results Preliminary Recommendations

Introduction

Wayfinding -- Definition

Wayfinding is not signage “the structuring and presentation

of information needed to allow people to easily navigate an environment” (Corbin, 2000)

Developing a Successful Wayfinding System

End-user participation in development

Design for the first-time visitor Support intuition Be logical and consistent Define destinations thoughtfully Test the system

Davis Centre Library

Two floors Division of library

[main floor] Abstracts, Book Stacks, References, Government Publications

[lower] Periodicals Users

Existing Problems

Similar call number signs. A lot of temporary signs. No standardised guidelines.

Project Objectives

Allow patrons to access library facilities and resources more independently.

Develop signage standards.

Methodology

Overview of Methods

Literature Search Signage Inventory & Evaluation Preliminary Patron Survey DC Library Patron Survey Development of a New Signage

System User Testing Protocol

Literature Search

Past wayfinding projects Established signage guidelines Human factors principles User testing methods

Signage Inventory

Starting point Cataloged all unique signs on main

floor Took pictures of each Large (43 signs) database of signs

to evaluate

Heuristics

General “rules of thumb” Based on research, previous

projects Not meant to replace true

experimental designs Points to general direction of

investigation

Signage Inventory – Sample

Preliminary Library Patron Survey

Opportunistic Compiled most frequently asked

question

Results

Results

Finding call number was most significant problem

Want to replicate findings and investigate call number problem in more detail

DC Patron Survey

Asked participants if they difficulty in finding a number of resources

Items taken from original survey Methods ORE approval

DC Patron Survey

Want to investigate call number problem in more detail

Used task analysis Breakdown task into components Create query at each decision point

Task AnalysisWhich floor is it on?

Main Floor Lower Floor

Which section is it in?

Section 1 Section 2 Section n

Which stack is it on?

Stack n Stack 2 Stack 1

Which shelf is it on?

Survey Instructions

Please indicate the number of times you experienced difficulty when attempting to find the following items/locations since the start of this term. A zero (0) indicates that you had no problems. Place a check in the Did Not Seek column if you have never sought the item/location in question.

Sample Survey ItemsItem or Location

Number of Instances

Did Not Seek

a book using a Call Number because you couldn’t find the_________where it was located

floor

area of the library

exact shelf

a journal using a Call Number because you couldn’t find the_________where it was located

floor

area of the library

exact shelf

washrooms

library dictionary

Developing a New Signage System

Focus on most prevalent problem Did not have user feedback

Survey ongoing Assumptions

Finding a book given the call number was the most significant problem

Problems finding the section of the library

User Testing

To evaluate the effectiveness of the new design

Protocol ORE approval

Design

Four library books selected Participant had to find book given

the call number printout Control group

Original signage Experimental group

New signage

Participants

Sought out students, faculty, and other university members

Using many levels of familiarity but focusing on the first-time (inexperienced) patrons

Measurements Time to completion

Given printout to holding the book Notes from verbal protocol

Think aloud Uncover cognitive processes Investigator Records notes

Distance traveled to completion Allows the calculation of # of wrong

turns

Results/Conclusions

Heuristic Evaluation

DC Patron Survey

Item/Location Did Not Seek No Problems 1 to 3 Instances 3+ Instances

Book Call Number - Floor 8 16 2 1

Book Call Number - Area 8 12 4 3

Book Call Number - Stack 7 14 1 5

Journal Call Number - Floor 15 11 1 0

Journal Call Number - Area 15 11 1 0

Journal Call Number - Stack 14 11 0 2

Washrooms 4 16 5 2

DC Patron Survey Comments “The library is too noisy.” “Too many “small” signs;

distracting. Finding printout the first time (years ago) was hard.”

“The telis internet search is rather bad. Many times I couldn’t find books, journals that are in the library using the search.”

User Testing Protocol

6 participants 3 control 3 experimental

Post Search Questionnaire Did you have problems knowing where

to start? Did you have problems finding the

correct shelf? Were there any particular signage that

was helpful or detrimental in you search?

On a scale of 1-10 how difficult were the tasks?

Performance Times

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

REF GOV ABS BS

Section

Tim

e (

min

)

Control Experiment

Sample Participant Comments

“I like the colour coding, but, what about the call numbers” – expt’l

“why are the map colours different than the colour coding” – expt’l

“why aren’t there big signs for the individual sections” – ctrl

Recommendations – Overview

Heuristics Evaluation

Follow heuristics for new signs Modify old signs to meet heuristic

standards if possible Problems have been identified

Large Aisle Way Signs

Improve navigation to landmark locations by increasing visibility in all directions.

e.g. conference room, washrooms, microfiche, copiers

Colour Coded Sections

More efficient performance Good feedback from participants Better performance times

Colour Coded Sections - Requirements

Signs should follow heuristics Colour choice can complement

décor of library, while preserving accessibility to the colour blind (i.e. good contrast)

Colour should match overhead map

Online Call Number Locator

User finds a call number from Trellis.

User clicks on “find call number”. Overhead map pops up indicating

location with respect to the computer.

Good general navigation tool.

University of Guelph

University of Guelph

University of Guelph

University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska

Requirements for an Online Call Number Locator System

User finds a call number from Trellis.

User clicks on “find call number”. Overhead map pops up indicating

location with respect to the computer.

Lays down bread crumb trail. Good general navigation tool.

Questions and/or Comments?