ID/Lab Blog

Bank of New Zealand – Created Experience

2012-05-24T00:09:58Z

Bank of New Zealand: improve customer experience through easier to understand shop layout and better staff interaction.

The Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) contacted us with a request to help them solve some signage issues that surfaced after BNZ implemented a radical new design in their branches (which they now call stores). BNZ described that after opening a new store to the public, customers felt confused when they entered, and that there were problems with queuing and getting people to the right counters.

We often get calls to “fix the signage” and, in the discussions with these clients, we find that these problems are not caused by the signage, but by other factors. This rang true for BNZ and we were engaged to carry out an audit of a number of their new ‘stores’. Part of the brief was to look at the delivery of BNZ’s digital advertising strategy in their stores, and for that component we collaborated with Symplicit, a digital user experience design consultancy.

The survey included a large number of staff and client interviews, and ID/Lab recommended a number of relatively simple changes in the store layout that would enhance the way that people use the space:

Make eye contact. Ensure that the terminal closest to the entrance is manned first, and rotate the service desk about 20 degrees. This way the staff member can always see who is coming in, make eye contact and acknowledge them.
Add more branding. The new store design was so clean and minimal that there was no BNZ branding visible in the store. This meant that some people walked in, looked around and left again, without understanding that this was the new BNZ store.
Change the queuing methods. It was unclear from the layout and labeling of the desks where business customers and private customers needed to go, and what services were offered at each desk.

Even more important were the changes to the way that the staff interact with the customers. We recommended to actively engage with the business customers on a one-to-one basis, to explain what they could expect, and how they could get faster service.

The implementation of these recommendations have shown a remarkable difference in customer experience.

This project was a great example of how ‘Shaping Behaviour in the Built Environment’ has its focus on people and how they interact with the cues they get from the environment. Signage can help, but more often it is about making other changes in the environment that help people to understand their surroundings.

Hamer Hall – Count Down

2012-05-24T00:09:27Z

The countdown has begun to the official reopening of Hamer Hall, and the completion of its $128.5 million redevelopment. ID/Lab developed the wayshowing strategy and signage for this iconic project. Hamer Hall will reopen on 26 July 2012.

In close collaboration with the architects from Ashton Raggatt McDougall (ARM), ID/Lab has developed a wayshowing strategy and a signage package that draws inspiration from the history of the site, while also looking towards its future as a key part of Melbourne’s arts and architectural landscape.

The project had an interesting process, with the design and building works happening concurrently, resulting in constant change and revision. Project management for this sort of process is of the utmost importance; how do we keep track of the changes happening in the architecture, and how do we respond to that with our wayshowing strategy and signage design?

The design of the signage had to fit-in with the heritage protected interiors of Hamer Hall, while showing progress and renewal. The Arts Centre was so impressed with the design of the exterior signage system that they intend to implement it in the whole Arts Centre precinct.

The refurbished hall will contain state-of-the-art seating and technology systems, sure to place it among the world’s great venues. It will reopen with a weekend of celebrations and an exciting opening season of performances from July 26-29. We can’t wait for the signage to be installed, Hamer Hall to reopen and finally see it all come to life.

New Corporate Identity

2012-05-24T00:10:18Z

As some of you might know, when ID/Lab started in 2006, we concentrated on developing wayfinding strategies only. For the design component we would collaborate with graphic and industrial designers. This worked for a while, but often we found ourselves struggling to get across the importance of ‘it has to work’ as opposed to ‘it just has to be beautiful’.

This is why we now have a team of graphic and industrial designers in-house. They do nothing else but Environmental Graphic Design; no CD covers, annual reports or art posters for them! We believe that this specialist approach will benefit our clients and the projects we work on; the designers are primarily focused on usability whilst being able to make it as beautiful as possible.

This change in our business model needed to be reflected in our Corporate Identity, which is the reason that we changed our collateral, our website and blog. We have already had some good feedback on both the design and the ease of navigation, but we would love to hear your comments too. So go ahead, let us know, good or bad. We do value your feedback!

Toronto & New York Office

2012-05-24T00:10:43Z

At the end of 2009 ID/Lab was asked by one of our clients, STH, to discuss the wayshowing strategy for the Niagara Hospital in Ontario, Canada with Ian Dickson–the wayshowing strategist for the job. The Niagara Hospital is a Plenary development, and STH were the architects. They were interested in us sharing with Ian some of the paradigms we use in developing strategies that make wayfinding in hospitals more intuitive.

From the many phone and Skype conversations we had it seemed that we thought alike when it came to strategy development, and how it needs to be a complete, holistic approach, not just focused on signage. A year later, when Ian was looking to start his own business, he approached ID/Lab again, and asked if we would be interested in a collaboration. At the same time, we were talking to Elise de Jong, a Dutch (yes, another one!) wayshowing designer who used to run the New York office of ARUP/Mijksenaar. She was also looking for a new start in her career, and she was also interested in the collaboration.

Both Ian and Elise have many years of experience in strategy development and design of wayfinding systems. Ian’s expertise, with more than 20 hospital projects under his belt, is mostly in health and government, while Elise has lead all the major transport infrastructure wayfinding projects for the ARUP/Mijksenaar office such as Washington Dulles, JFK, La Guardia and Newark International airports, Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART) in San Francisco, Fulton Street Transit Center in New York, plus the TTC Spadina Subway Extension in Toronto, since its inception in 2004.

The three offices bring together a broad range of talent and experience and work collaboratively on large projects; an international design think tank with progressive ideas, creating and leveraging best practices from around the world.

Office Opening

2012-05-24T00:11:14Z

Our office is in the heart of Chinatown, and on the afternoon of our office opening, we were able to beat the wafts of delicious food coming from the restaurants below us with the salivating smells emanating from our own BBQ! The opening party was a great success, with a large number of guests arriving early, and leaving late.

From our office balcony on 180 Russell Street, there are some fantastic views over the city. The four storey office block, on top of a seven-storey car park is named Total House, and was quite something when built in 1963. It was Melbourne’s first “park on the job” facility, constructed by Leighton Contractors.

Total House was designed by Bogle & Banfield. Apparently this Russell street site was originally the location of the Temperance Hall of Melbourne (174 Russell street) and dates back to the 1850′s. In 1934 it became the Imperial Theatre and by the time the current office block was designed it housed the former Savoy Film/Newsreel Theatre, which was then demolished to make way for the current office block.

When finished, the basement housed the lavish nightclub Lido Theatre Restaurant. It later transformed into the Total Film Theatre but nowadays is occupied by Billboard Entertainment Venue. We are wondering if the Total Abstinence Society approves of the occupants it housed since then (temperance bars did not serve alcoholic beverages!)

From theatre with erotic appeal, to rowdy bands and plenty of alcohol available! Indeed a “Total” difference!

From Curing to Healing: The New Royal Adelaide Hospital

2012-05-22T02:58:41Z

The way environments look influence the way we feel, the way we behave, and how often we frequent them. Research has shown that the way a healthcare environment looks and feels will not only effect these common factors, but also change the health outcomes for patients. This has radically changed the way in which hospitals and other healthcare facilities are being designed.

This means that architects, interior designers, environmental graphic designers, and wayshowing strategists all have a responsibility to create an environment that positively effects an individual during their healing process. Through attractive design, welcoming layout choices, and simplicity in navigation, we can help ease anxieties associated with the hospital environment.

A large number of changes can be made early in the process to ensure that wayfinding behaviour is simplified, thereby reducing stress, and helping to improve the experience of the hospital for all users. The earlier in the design process we are involved, the more malleable the environment, and the easier it is to implement positive changes without having to radically alter a whole floor plan or building. We keep having to say to clients that we love not having to put signage up–no signage means that the building is easy to navigate, means that the patient has less to worry about, and can help them feel at ease in the building.

A major project where this methodology applies is the new Royal Adelaide Hospital. Natural sunlight will filter through the building, some windows can be opened for fresh air, all while ensuring that the building will not overheat. This emphasis on nature extends into the architectural form and signage structure.

All disciplines, across architecture, interior design, landscaping, art, ICT, and Facility Management need to work together, as there is a strong need in a building of this size and complexity to consider how all aspects of the built environment influence user behaviour. The wayshowing forms an important part of and contributes to the integrated design solution. Regular workshops with the user groups will ensure that interdepartmental circulation routes and flows for patients, staff and visitors are developed in a holistic approach, with a consensus from all key stakeholders.

Landmarks, theming and other stimuli will guide the visitor in a intuitive way with a simple information hierarchy applied, delivered in a structured manner where this is needed.

Cross-disciplinary integration, when it occurs early and often, can result in a huge win for all users of these buildings, not least in their health outcomes. The Royal Adelaide Hospital is just one in a series of new projects that make sure all disciplines work together to get a great result, not just in terms of aesthetics or efficacy, but in terms of patient’s physical and mental wellbeing.

We are proud to be involved in this landmark project, and look forward to bringing you more updates as it progresses.

Liverpool Hospital New Build Completed

2012-05-23T05:33:41Z

Stage 2.1 of Liverpool Hospital with builder Lend Lease and Architect Rice Daubney was formally completed at the beginning of March 2012.

The Liverpool Hospital project consisted of a large extension to an existing building, and the renovation of a considerable part of the rest of the hospital.

The building design and the campus layout created an interesting navigational challenge in a functioning hospital environment, with large numbers of visitors from a non english speaking background.

It was paramount that the wayfinding system would work for English speaking and non-English speaking clients. To achieve this we implemented what we call the “Airport Gate System”, where destinations are given a numeral code. Numeric coding makes it possible to ‘name’ destinations sequentially; destination 112, is likely to be near 111 and 113.

The other challenge was that the architect Rice Daubney, requested there be no ceiling suspended signage and as little projecting signage as possible in the corridors of the new build area. To meet this request we opted for wrapped around and wall mounted directional signage.

We are currently working with the people from Sydney South West Area Health Service to get the rest of the hospital campus primary internal/external wayfinding up-to-date.

No such thing as standard beauty

2012-04-26T05:37:40Z

The discussion regarding applicable standards for sign systems is something that comes and goes in the wayshowing community, and often becomes an argument about the balancing act between known solutions and new solutions. It is hard not to have the impression that creative designs present–to some people–a risk to the efficacy of their wayshowing system.

This fear is probably based on the myth of the designer as a head-in-the-clouds ‘creative’ type whose sole job is to channel their personal creativity into work for a client. And one of the worst things the design industry has done (aside from cigarette packaging) is let this myth gain traction. This creative is guaranteed to mess up the system because their designs are too weird, or because they don’t take the needs of the wayshowing strategy into account. The creative is then a source of consternation, a threat, and not to be trusted with serious work.

Good thing that a designer is not a creative. Extra good that a designer is not an artist. As summed up by Mike Monteiro in his excellent Design Is A Job:

“The myth of the magical creative is alive and well, and it’s powerful. It’s equally perpetuated by designers and those who work with them. And it’s destructive, reducing a designer’s job to pixel-pusher, prettifier, and someone who feels their way to success. A magical creative is expected to succeed based on instinct, rolling the dice every time, rather than on a methodical process that can be repeated time and time again.”

A designer is a problem solver, working within a set of constraints. To ignore these constraints is to decide not to design. Yes, often solutions will require the designer to think creatively, but this should not be allowed to override the constraints that have already been set in place.

Standards bearers

What do we gain by conforming to standards in signage design?

First; we have base level of efficacy that can be used to assess designs with–this particularly relates to legibility and vision requirements.
Second; a level of conformity to information that helps users recognise when a given type of information is being displayed, such as accessible amenities or route selection.
Third; assurance for the client that the system will work.

This last point is often underrated, but simply saying that a design conforms to the relevant standard often assures the client that the system being presented will minimise problems for their users, whether that is actually the case or not.

The risk with standards is that they stifle creative solutions to existing problems. By saying that a sign needs to be an exact height, typeface and colour, you are removing the ability of the designer to question the need for a sign in the first place. Standards don’t look at end results–they look at the methodology.

Often this situation is encountered with the desire to place Braille and tactile signs throughout large institutions. There are good intentions behind this–people want those with a disability to be able to use their facility independently, and they think the Braille is a neat solution for this. What it ignores is that complex environments cannot be easily navigated using Braille signage.

Imagine going to a conference centre with a large auditorium, closing your eyes, and being expected to find a small panel somewhere on the wall that tells you you’ve reached Door 7. Should be relatively easy to do by systematically scouring the wall. Now imagine that there’s a large number of people attending the conference, and you have to feel your way across a crowded and bustling auditorium. Suddenly the degree of difficulty becomes much higher, if not impossible.

The requirement for Braille directional signage is often unhelpful, and relying on such a standard ignores the actual needs of the users. Research in the United States indicates that approximately 10% of the legally blind can read Braille, and this continues to drop with the rise in popularity of text-to-speech programs. If the guiding standard was “Visually impaired people can find their through the environment” rather than “Provision must be made for Braille and tactile signage”, then this would not be an issue. Here, then, is a situation where looking outside of the standard can reveal better solutions which would otherwise not have been apparent. By the way, the image below? That’s a touch screen interface with Braille explanatory text. You would not believe how useful that is.

Reliance on standards for some aspects of wayshowing design then starts to influence the desire for standards across all aspects—because its much easier to design these systems when you don’t have to think. Proper, considered thought is energy draining, which is why people will often rely on systems and processes to cover for their mental laziness. Everyone does it, because it saves time, and is way easier.

Consider buying a shoe. Do you get your foot measured every time? Probably not–you know which shoe size fits, and you’ll ask to try that one on. If the shoe does not fit properly, then you’ll adjust your expectations of shoe size up or down a little to match, and ask the shop assistant to provide you with a shoe that does fit. In all likelihood, the shoe is still not going to be a perfect fit. The only way to ensure that is to get it custom made.

I’m sure you’re smart enough to draw the analogy here. Wayshowing strategy and design is bespoke work. People come to you because they have problems they cannot solve themselves, and probably don’t fit in the traditional systems that manufacturers provide. They often need solutions to complex problems, or require integrated architectural and signage solutions.

The (attractive) elephant in the room

Design creates value not through making things look good but by solving tricky problems through analytical and creative thinking. And, yes, there is an aesthetic basis for some of these solutions. There is a school of thought regarding User Interface design which posits that when people ask for, or describe, interfaces which are intuitive, they are actually talking about having a positive aesthetic reaction to it.

It follows, and makes logical sense, that an attractive user interface is likely to be more intuitive (read: accepted) than one which is ugly. When all other factors are considered equal, people will always opt for the more aesthetically pleasing option. Although subjective, a large number of naturally beautiful qualities make sense for interface design; symmetry, scale, relationship, and iconography are all important.

A wayshowing system is essentially a user interface for the built environment—a series of tools that someone can use to find their way around a building. The clarity and aesthetic quality of this interface will influence the way people interact with the environment. You could have the clearest and most logical wayfinding solution, but if that solution is ugly it is unlikely to be valued and accepted by the client and the user.

Part of this aesthetic solution has to resolve the way in which a wayshowing system integrates with the environment around it. There needs to be a balance between the clarity of information delivery and the ties to the building, park or street. If that balance is not achieved, the system will fail to be effective–you either have a system that sticks out like a sore thumb, and looks about as good, or a design that fades into the background, and is about as useful as a sore thumb. The design below manages to do both; practically invisible, with its grey-on-grey approach, but once you see it, it rewards you with unabashed blandness.

Standards and regulations alone cannot tell you how attractive a design is, and yet they seek to control every aspect of the way a piece of information is structured on the panel. Text size, character width, image size, colour contrast–all of these have been, in one aspect or another, regulated to conform to standards based design. Most of this could be solved by asking the simple question:

Does it work?

Aesthetic value as a civic duty

Those who’ve been paying attention throughout this rant will probably be able to surmise where this is going, but it bears explanation. Wayshowing designers must accept some form of responsibility for the aesthetic beauty present in the built environment. Amongst street artists, architects, and bill posters, we are the least examined discipline, and yet our designs have a strong impact on how an area is perceived.

Designers like to think of themselves as agents of change, an important guiding force in the world–you should read First Things First 2000 to get an understanding of this mindset. For all its posturing and socially responsible thinking, the manifesto says very little of the joy that beautiful design can bring to our lives.

Clients often say they know little of design, and this may be so. I know of designers (myself included) who have had forceful physical reactions to works of art and design. I have yet to meet a client who has similar feelings about visual ephemera. And yet they all have Apple products, where beauty is pushed to the point that ergonomics are often disregarded, and they all want to live in traditionally beautiful homes.

These are people who are willing to sacrifice a beautiful design for a cheaper, slightly less beautiful one, and yet they must have some base perception of what is and isn’t attractive, or they would not choose to decorate their homes, have good china, enjoy one painting over another. It is not that they dismiss the value of art and design–it is that they value it less than other things. These are not the same thing.

To say that there are very few aesthetes (those who value beauty above all else) is to ignore that most people have a feeling for beauty, it’s just not first on their list of priorities. But they still have it. We do not use smell as our primary sense, and yet we prefer a nice perfume to a dead fish. If we extrapolate this to visual design, should we not aim for beauty alongside usability?

The difficulty of aiming so high is that its much easier to assess how well something works than how good it looks. Jonathon Rez talks about how one might assess wayfinding systems:

“Some of the most functional wayfinding systems I know, those that effectively help people navigate through an environment, aren’t particularly aesthetically appealing; some highly imaginative and beautifully crafted designs provide a pleasing experience, which in turn is undermined by the frustration rendered by their impracticality. Another typical evaluation criteria would be the level to which the design is sensitive to the physical context in terms of placement, choice of materials, colours, form, typography etc… and the extent to which this supports or inhibits the desired visitor experience”.

This sentence summarises what I’m attempting to express here–the design of a wayfinding system is more than just how it works, or how it looks. It is the fusion of both that creates the best experience for users. Yes, standards and standardised designs will help ensure that the directional information works, but a truly effective wayfinding system will combine clear directions and beautiful design.

Beautiful design, like art, should be timeless–and yet that initial frisson, gasp and wonder will fade with time. Yes, Van Gogh’s Starry Night is still pleasing to look at, but its sublime nature has faded with time. Comedy, too, falls victim to the same trap, whereby jokes that were once funny fade with repeated telling.

Design is not immune to this problem. Attempting to control the use of colours, typefaces and panel sizes any further risks the harmony of design and clarity by removing the ability of the designer to create a great experience, and letting that which was visually appealing ten or fifteen years ago dominate that which is created now. Standards have immense power over the way designs function, and trust in the absolute letter of these can be misplaced. Designers should question how it is that these standards are agreed upon, and who it is that benefits from their solutions.

To summarise, I am arguing that design is not just the façade applied to an engineering solution. Design is problem solving. The fact that most designers also make beautiful things should tell you that how it looks is an integral part of how it works.

Where have all the neon signs gone?

2012-04-20T01:12:29Z

I don’t know if this ever came across your mind, but where have all the neon signs gone?!

We see less and less neon in shops and streets these days. Neon signs have become more an installation or art feature rather than common thing in public places. Is it that they are considered outdated and reminiscent of an age which is no longer relevant, or are there other reasons for their disappearance? Other, sinister reasons?

Imagine Route 66, Vegas or even countryside petrol stations during the forties. Those colourful neon tubes that formed letters or images; such a great memory!

Where have all the neon signs gone? The real question is; who took over? LED did, for many reasons; price, longevity, flexibility, and maintenance are all improved with LED. Neon lights have obviously lost the battle against LED, one of the prominent results of advances in technology. As price has come down, the quantity of these signs has soared.

To make things clear, I am not talking about those mini LED lights that are installed in your TV remote or radio; here, I’m discussing the high-powered LED that has the fantastic attribute to light and illuminate.

Neon lighting made its first appearance in late 1910 at the Paris Motor Show, and then became extremely popular in the United States from the 1920’s to 1960. However, the neon sign industry has severely declined in the past few decades.

LED arrived a bit later. The first LED was developed by Nick Holonyak Jr. in 1962 through General Electric Company, but its use was very limited. The use of LED for general lighting use has only become feasible about ten years ago! And as a result, almost every single sign we see now uses LED as its light source.

So, is it really that the neon sign era has come to an end? I am not quite sure. And I really hope not.

I still do think that neon signs have their own charm that can not be replaced by LED. Its handcrafted characteristic, its vintage look and its, sometimes, flickering light (which is actually caused by the leaking of the gas inside the tube) are always special to me. Imagine Melbourne’s iconic skipping girl in perfect motion, none of the antiquated stutter that neon animation provided. Sure, it’s less realistic, but the character and charm are missing.

Maybe, the best way to look at this is by appreciating both the beauty of neon and LED signs. LED is a handy solution for mass-manufacturing purpose signage that is too valuable to overlook and appreciating we had neon signs for so long around, and hopefully we are able to preserve the ones still out there!

How open urban spaces can fight loneliness

2012-04-24T00:09:09Z

What does urban planning mean? One could say that it is the organisation of all elements of a town or other urban environment. In practice it’s a bit more complicated then just that. It includes plans for safety, aesthetics and common sense placement of everything from houses to factories. Goals for attractive architecture for city buildings are developed and green spaces are planned in.

Good urban planning gets schools into the neighbourhoods where they are needed most, places hospitals in centralised locations, allows for growth and plans highways accordingly. Urban planners must also consider how future growth will affect traffic flow and try to eliminate trouble spots before they become a problem, otherwise the issues that we encounter in Greater Melbourne become more and more apparent.

When reading an article in the Architecturesource, I came across a study from the Grattan Institute, called Social Cities. The report suggests that green spaces encourage re-connection, communication and community oriented living. Health issues associated with loneliness for instance drop in areas that focus on these characteristics.

And bigger does not necessarily mean better: Simple changes, like installing benches at the edge of a public area or creating a so-called ‘pocket park’, can sometimes be all that’s needed for people wanting to spend time in such an area. Plazas, squares, or a shady park are all places where people gather to rest, people watch, talk, exercise, listen to a concert etc. And the common denominator is that they are welcoming. Melbourne has lucked out; we have Federation Square, benches along the Yarra River, the Botanical Gardens, Southbank with it’s buskers, the benches on Bourke street in the Mall area, not to mention countless city and inner-urban parks.

People gather in these places because they are attractive, easy to access and encourage social interaction. And how easy is it to then start talking to the person next to you? I often do!

We are currently working on a new development from Stockland, where there is a strong focus to improve health and wellbeing by utilising the environment people live in. ID/Lab was approached to develop a strategy to encourage people to walk and cycle more, and to create more of a community. In close collaboration with SJB Urban, we developed a plan that includes creating pedestrian-priority home-zones, extra safe bicycle paths, a delivery service from the local supermarket, community activities in the parks, a website and informative, encouraging signage. The ideas developed for this project will ultimately become a blueprint for future residential communities.

The Social Cities reinforces the value of the work we performed there, and will hopefully influence the future development of our city.