Photo credit: http://waypointar.com/
Navigational aids are not a new concept. GPS has been helping drivers for years, but technical limitations leave it on the road. For environments like college buildings, airports, and hospitals, concrete interferes with satellite signals and GPS accuracy hovers roughly around five meters according to GPS.gov. By leveraging augmented reality (AR), wayfinding solutions now allow you to go where GPS can’t.
AR can be dialed into a very precise accuracy and it has the capability of creating indoor signage clearly showing points-of-interest, hazard alerts, and more ultimately saving customers time. With signage specifically, in the context of events, there’s opportunity to save money and positively impact the environment by reducing the amount of printed material, which is often used once and thrown away within a few days.
Even more, by integrating AR, event planners can create wayfinding tools within an app that attendees download, and boom! All of your signage is displayed digitally and now everyone at your event has your product and branding in their pockets.
Beyond the environmental impact, indoor AR wayfinding features are likely to intrigue users because signage can be dynamic, active and contextual to the real-world. For example, last year Gatwick Airport in the UK implemented a wayfinding system that embeds dynamic directional arrows, which guide travelers to their gates. The accompanying signage changes in real-time based on personalized flight information. The result cuts down on congestion in busy areas.
“Customer satisfaction, in particular, is linked to experience,” said the author of AVR Spot‘s article describing the app. “The more enjoyable it is the more people like your brand. Augmented reality surely surpasses other technology innovations in maintaining excellent navigational user experiences.”
Another benefit of AR-based wayfinding is the opportunity to integrate accessibility features. In his article posted on AIXR.org, VRScout.com journalist Ben Formaker-Olivas points out that while visuals are a very large part of the XR UX/UI design process, accessibility features must be considered. In her blog Reality of Design, Alexandria Heston notes, “Not only is it important to be designing for every type of human, but it is also important to include a diverse spectrum of humans in the design and creation phase.”
As wayfinding technology develops, designers have an opportunity to provides tools where traditional navigation systems fall short and an even bigger opportunity to design a new reality that benefits all humans.
https://designinteractive.net/industrial-wayfinding-using-augmented-reality-part/
https://www.mobiddiction.com.au/augmented-reality-wayfinding-and-placemaking/
https://venturebeat.com/2019/08/01/mixed-reality-will-help-us-navigate-labyrinthine-hospitals/
https://arpost.co/2019/09/24/augmented-reality-enhancing-indoor-wayfinding/
https://www.avrspot.com/apps-like-ar-wayfinding-gatwick-airport-can-help-promote-brand/
https://aixr.org/insights/why-vr-ar-developers-should-prioritize-accessibility-in-ux-ui-design/
