SPECIAL REPORT: FACILITATION
Getting graphics Taking an holistic approach to wayfinding can create positive passenger experiences and boost passenger spending at airports, writes GS&P’s Jim Harding.
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t’s no secret that many of the world’s airports face ever-increasing pressure to make more revenue, so the need to create positive passenger experiences continues to grow in importance. After all, a satisfied customer is more likely to return to the airport than a dissatisfied one and as we all know happy travellers open up their wallets for concessions and other purchases during their visit. And while operations and service are certainly integral to the formula for success, environmental graphic design is a lesser-discussed component that has tremendous potential to influence the customer experience. Environmental graphic design (EGD) supports the built environment most commonly through branding and wayfinding. It is more than just signs; it requires a holistic approach based on reinforcing a brand and communicating information that helps people make the best decisions to reach their destination. Wayfinding can be very subjective (there are lots of opinions). Therefore to ensure the best possible outcome, GS&P has developed an objective process where research is the key. Research, we find, helps us identify where problems lie for passengers so that we can make refinements based on reliable data. Airports such as Changi in Singapore, which is consistently ranked among the best airports in the world for customer service, are committed to excellence through a research-based approach to improvements.
GS&P recently performed a review and analysis of Changi’s wayfinding system, with a goal of identifying new ways to further enhance their airport experience. Using proven research methods, our team analysed opportunities for facility-wide improvements. Research is also the foundation of the ‘3Vs’ of wayfinding – visual, verbal and virtual – which are the most basic elements of communicating information. Each of these types of communication has its own unique value, and they combine to create a fully functioning, comprehensive system. As an EGD practitioner, it’s part of my job to define what success looks like, and these are some of the fundamentals my team applies to our process:
Visual wayfinding The most basic and straightforward navigational tool, encompasses all static signage. It’s the workhorse of the wayfinding world; it does the heavy lifting. And it’s also the biggest struggle for many airports, which have grown and added facilities over time, ending up with a disjointed system that lacks clarity and cohesion. The success of visual wayfinding is tied strongly to intuitive architecture. Research has shown time and time again that good wayfinding begins with thoughtful architectural design; spaces that people can ‘read’, understanding where they are, where to go and how to get there.
AIRPORT WORLD/OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2015
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