About this photo: Barbican Estate, London, England

Blog

Monday, January 16, 2012

Design fix: Stanthorpe Close map

I hope to make Design fix a regular feature on my blog: you'll see an example of terrible graphic or wayfinding design and my proposed fix. Although good design may not save the world, it doesn't have to cost more than bad design, and if it makes the world a bit less ugly and a bit easier to navigate, why not?

A map/sign outside a housing complex in South London.

What's wrong with this sign:
  1. The words "Stanthorpe Close" appear ten times; that's about nine too many. They clutter up a sign that's meant to be understood at a glance.
  2. The map is on the left, but the legend needed to interpret it is on the right.  Our eyes are trained to scan from left to right, so we waste time trying to find an address on the map at left, then we're forced to consult the legend at right, then back to the map. This is for too many steps to answer a simple question: where is unit X?
  3. The colour choices don't make it clear which areas are for vehicles and which are pedestrian-only. 
  4. There is no reason to show the shape of rear gardens and complex building footprints. These details add clutter and won't be useful to the map's primary users: visitors, new residents, and deliverypeople. Better to simplify for the sake of legibility.
  5. The map doesn't show 'where you are' within the complex, or how to access the upper floors.

My fix:





The sign provides the all information necessary for its intended users, and nothing more. The three-dimensional effect on the buildings serves as an extra cue for those who find it difficult to orient themselves using flat maps. The "you are here" label can be a sticker applied when the sign is installed, so copies of the same sign could be used throughout the complex. As a courtesy for visitors when they leave, the map offers a subtle reminder that Stanthorpe Road is a one-way street.

An improvement?

0 comments:

Post a Comment