Wayfinding

Ashton Arcades

The Arcades was first opened in Ashton-Under-Lyne (Tameside)  on October 1995 and is made up of 13,060 m2 with over 40 shops spread around two levels and a multi-storey car park which could hold up to 532 vehicles. The arcades is very close to a bus station and the Manchester Metrolink Tram Stations therefore it is easy for people to commute and go shopping in The Arcades. All the shops are very close and even outside, the shops aren’t far from each other.

The wayfinding system was non-existent in Ashton Arcades. I couldn't find any information about shops that were there nor did they include any facilities therefore new shoppers of the area would not know anything about the Arcades.  I did however find a map on their website which was useless since you would have to access the website for the map whilst you were shopping. The map also looked outdated and too basic since it doesn't include the facilities they have.

The information about the 4 levels in the shopping centre was only seen on the second floor which wouldn't of been helpful for people on the other 3 floors and it also looked basic and didn't stand out. The information leaflet I picked up wasn't helpful as I didn't know whether it was a seasonal leaflet or a permeant leaflet of the list of shops it had. It didn't tell you where the shops were such as what level it was on.

On the Ashton Arcades website, I managed to get a hold of their map. I don’t think shoppers would appreciate having to go online to find the map whilst they are shopping. It would be more appropriate and suitable to be able to see the map in real life whilst your shopping around the centre as it makes more sense than having to look for it online.

The use of colours on the map make it look outdated and unattractive because collectively look dulled down.

Shoppers may find the map difficult to look at because you can just see shop names and I think it would be easier if it had the shop logos because they are easier to spot rather than having to read all the shops on the map to find the one that they were looking for.

There is a separate building that is suppose to be the toilet facilities but does not have any pictogram to show it but has ‘Conveniences’ instead which may be not be useful for some people as it could be referred to anything.

Pictograms

By recognising the facilities in the shopping centre, I created basic pictograms accordingly. The pictograms were made to look basic so it would be easily recognisable to the public. The designs are simplified and are more well know to the public so it would be easier for the audience to recognise. The final pictograms were inspired by existing and well known signs. This is easier as I didn’t want to over-complicate it as it may be difficult to read, like the existing pictogram. I kept the designs in black and white so that it keeps up with the simplicity of the designs and as I didn’t want to use a colour that may clash with the other colours of the wayfinding system. The black pictograms along the silver plaque gives it a sleek look instead of tacky. The solid black works well because it stands out from the silver background so that it is easy to see. The white diaper on the ’Baby Changing’ pictogram is very bold and works better as it is the centre sign so you can easily see that and see the other two pictograms beside it. I had tried leaving the diaper silver but it looked odd as it look like the baby had floating legs below its body which would look very questionable to the public. Using the colour black as the diaper will seem as if it is just a symbol of a body which would be confusing. I thought that the colour grey also looked very dull behind the silver because it looks like its trying to blend into the silver. I added the facilities under the pictogram for the ease for the audience.

I found this plaque on the second floor that shows each level in the shopping centre. I thought it could do with some improvements such as include pictograms as it would be an easier guide for shoppers to look at. I also thought the use of colour was uninteresting and dull. The typeface also looked too thin and may be difficult to read from far away especially with the muted blue. I chose to improve it by adding the pictograms I had created and use a bolder, black typeface so it would be easier to see from afar. It also made more sense to use the Ashton Arcades logo rather than having ‘ARCADES’. I chose a the same red in the typeface as the logo because it would look more consistant. The plaque will be placed on every level and the typeface will be red according to the level you’re on.

Designs

I created a basic wayfinding system that should be in all shopping centres such as a map, list of shops (and its levels) and the levels of the shopping centre. 

 

I used Berthold Akzidenz Grotesk as it is a bold sans serif type therefore is would be easier to read. It also looks very modern and sophisticated.The typeface is a bold therefore is would be easier to read and suitable for the whole wayfinding system. It also looks very modern and sophisticated. I used 9 point size for the typeface for the shops on the store list so that it could fit all the shop names on the list. For the levels, I used a 60 point to make it stand out and do that people can easily see the levels first then the store names.

On the map, I replaced the original plain shop names to their logos as it is easily recognisable as they are already established logo names and people are more likely to remember the logos. This is so much easier for shoppers as they don't have to directly read the shop names. If they do not recognise shops, they can look on the other side of the map which would have the store list.

The idea behind the bright colours was to make the map and information guide look more modern and bold so that it would be easily seen especially from afar. Each level has its own colour so that customers can determine what level they're on therefore its easy for people to remember. The design was inspired by the original map, using similar colours but more vivid and brighter so it would look less dull. The green does not go well with the other colours chosen as it washes out the other colours as it is really bright. I chose this green as it was considered as a complimentary colour for the red logo when I used the Adobe Capture CC app but I don't think it is suitable as it is very intense and can be very difficult to look at when looking at it for a long period. I don't want the green to be the main focus of the wayfinding, I wanted the gaze to be evenly distributed for the whole way finding. 

The store list, I used a silvery/grey as the background colour as it is a neural colour and would be most suitable as it works well against all colours. I felt that a black background would make it look too dark and the white looked boring on the design.

I divided the levels up so that people knew what type of shops/facilities were on each level as I also included pictograms.

I used the same colours from the map on the shopping levels as it would make a more consistent and harmonious wayfinding system. I chose a darker grey for the Second Level as, it is a neutral colour and works well with every colour. The Third Level, I used a purple, it is not a complementary colour but it does complement the orange.

Feedback:

Do you think this is an effective wayfinding system?

• Yes, I like it but I’m not sure on the green
• Considering the shopping centre doesn’t have a wayfinding system, this is really good!! Pictograms look nicely simple
• Yeah but the green it too bright. I like the simple pictograms
• Yes I like how you’ve also included the pictograms on the level plan because this will be very useful!
• The level plaque would be useful on all the floor levels and I like how when your on each level, the floor level changes to red.
• I like how all you have done is improve the existing design but made it look even better and it works really well

What do you think about the colours?

• I think the green needs to go
• The green is too bright
• I think it all works well but the green looks unsuitable
• I know you considered complementary colours but in this instance, maybe change the green for another colour
• I would say try blue
• I like how you have thought about trying to match to the red but the green is not working for me. Maybe you should try and not find colours to complement red as it is a shopping centre and different levels can have different colours regardless

If you used this wayfinding system, do you think that you would be able to find your way around easily?

• Yes, it is very clear especially because you have colour coded each level
• Yeah because it is bright and easy to see
• I think the idea of replacing the names of the shops to the logos is more effective as logos are more recognisable and easier to read than words
• I really like how you have thought about complementary colours to suit the red logo
• Everything is clear and bold and easy to read, very good!!!
• Yes

Having read the feedback, I changed the ‘Ground Level’ map to a blue shade as it works better with the orange and the whole theme on the level list. The blue is a dark, muted tone but it still looks rich and strong. The blue is easier to look at as it is also a calming colour rather than the vivid green. The blue and the purple work really well together as the colours complement each other.

The colours looks very suitable with each other as they harmonise with each other making it appear more calming and laid-back.

Final outcome:

Although I only managed to create a basic wayfinding system, I think I have successfully created one that can be useful to the public as the shopping centre hadn’t had any sort of wayfinding system. 

I tried to make it as convenient as much as I could by creating as much pictograms for the facilities they have. I made the designs as simple and as easy to read as I could as people may not have time to look at a map for too long if they are in a rush so I had to consider legibility and make it easier for shopper to get where they needed to be.

The colour coding definitely works because it allows to remember what level they’re on easily. I think that by replacing the shop names to the logos on the map is the most efficient and effective as people recognise brands almost instantly so they can easily spot where they need to go.

As there were no permanent information stands, I could only use the temporary seasonal stand to place the map and level list onto which I am disappointed in because I don’t think the walls would’ve been useful as the stands were already near the escalator so it made more sense to be there so shoppers could see it when they went on the escalator.  The stands would have a map on one side and the store list on the other just to make it convenient if the shoppers could see the additional levels of the shopping centre.

The outcome was what I hoped as it is bright and easy to read. I feel like I could’ve done more experimentation with the map and the car parking but I had no information about the car parking. I also hoped that if the information stand was longer, I could’ve added in the opening times.