Ferrari World. Public Space Wayfinding Analysis

FerrariWorld World is a major themepark based on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE. It is connected to Yas Mall. My analysis of the use of Wayfinding signage's is as follows:

The Entry is amazing, the shapes and forms are very attractive and inviting. My only complaint is the entry signage could have been slightly larger and possibly more dimensional.

The only real form of wayfinding are these Information freestanding Placards. 

They are scattered throughout the park. The wording is white on a "Ferrari Red" background.

I feel there is not enough contrast and can be hard to read.

The handout map which comes in several languages was very well done. Concise, clear  and informative. Unfortunately this is the only type of map they have. I think it would've been beneficial to have at least 1 large format map as you enter the park 

There are some inconsistent way-finding signs on the floor. This can be difficult to see especially when there are crowds of people.

Many of the Signages for the ride themselves are boring and not well thought out.

This is a warning information sign for the ride. It is standard quality and well done. Easy to read with Icons and several languages.

Overall, this park definitley needs to rethink its use of wayfinding: 

Increasing the size and shape of the Entrance sign

Increase the readability of their Freestanding Info signs.

Having at least one large map in the beginning of the entry

Directional signage at major decision making junctions

Making the ride signage more appropriate to theme park standards

Yas Mall. Public Space Analysis

     For this blog assignment I chose YAS Mall and the connected theme park Ferrariworld. The mall and theme park are located on YAS Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE. YAS mall is considered an upscale luxury mall, it is enormous at 2.5 million square feet. https://www.yasmall.ae/en/about-us. The way-finding and signage throughout the mall is very well done. As gigantic as this place is, it would be very easy to get lost. All the signage is in dual language: English as well as Arabic,  Icons and symbols are also used. This is a multicultural destination and people from all over the world come to visit.

Coming into the car park the signage is clear and concise,easy to navigate. 

Plenty of signs and they are categorized

There is signage and way-finding everywhere. Directional arrows show the different major zones of the mall. The placement was in every decision making junction and clear/concise wording in both languages along with symbols for necessity areas.

Every lift(elevator) had signage posted outside

These standing signages were at every stairwell junction

                  Instead of text, Symbol Icons were used. Big and bold and also placed over the                      entrance as well as a vertically sticking out from the side so you can see while walking.

Double sided maps were placed at beginning of entrance to major zones of the mall. Clearly labelled and color coded depending on each floor and type of shop

These standing touchscreens were not only ongoing video ads but they are also interactive maps when touched.

My Analysis

Since I have known this mall for almost 2 years I have seen a lot of change. One of the issues it originally had was there was not enough specific signage. They had split the mall up to into 4-5 zones with a whimsical name like Palm Oasis. Nice name but has no context to whats in the area. It was very confusing getting around since this mall was so massive. There are only a few info booths, it was frustrating.  About a year ago, they changed the hanging signs to describe more specific areas like major stores. They also added hanging fin signs as well as a front outward facing signs for most stores so they are more clearly visible. The over style of the signage is muted yet classy, using warm rich tones and metallics. It is very consistent throughout. From these pictures, it does look like it would be difficult to read, but in person I assure it is not. At this time my only criticism is that the interactive signs do not have a sign on it saying that it is an interactive map.  Most of the time it is playing ads.

This mall also has a major theme park attached to it!

See my analysis of Ferrari World here

M4: What Does Interactive Bring to the Table?

 Interactive Infographics and Standard Infographics are both forms of information visulaization.

        Interactive takes Information Design a few steps further by being able to view animations, click links, and have a richer expereince. With Interactive you are busy surfing around and trying to delve into the content. The disadvantage of this is load times and the possiblity that the designer had tried too hard to wow you with the interactivity and not enough content.
      Although, there is simplicity and order in a standard Infographic, everything is layed out in a single form. You must spend the time to scan and digest the information. With an infographic, it can be viewed online as well as printed in several formats. Sometimes its nice to have the tactile feeling of holding a piece of paper or brochure.

       For each form, the designer must be aware of the design elements at play. In this website https://mashable.com/2012/07/09/how-to-create-an-infographic/?europe=true#RAPIwu23R8qo
was organized very well to describe the process of creating an Infographic. It's interesting to note that step 3 goes right into Color Schemes, which really shows how important color relates to us visually. It is also just as important to think about the Cognitive aspect of what is trying to be shown. "Understanding constraints and cognition and visual perception is ESSENTIAL to the way we visualize information"(9 Meirelles)

For the interactive example given http://isabelmeirelles.com/infoDesignResource/ I felt was a bit dated. There are so much better examples out there of interactive Infographics sites and they are amazing. It is good to see the gestalt design principals being used especially as interactives and explain how important these are to help focus content.

This Site https://www.ge.com/world-motion  showcases GE as the leader in digital tech. It has a 3d interactive globe with spatial distribution of its tech. When you click the pins on the globe an interactive infographic pops up to display more information, graphs, videos


Another really interesting Interactive site http://spacecraftforall.com/contact  has a space map with paths of ISEE 3 spacecraft and shows the achievements of space exploration with this craft. It has corresponding video for each portion of the timeline. It can be clunky and difficult to manage through. It is also best viewed with google chrome which limits its usage.

For standard Infographics, I found this Infographic https://visual.ly/community/infographic/technology/infographics-benefits-their-use-online that talks about Infographics and the statistics relating to how much easier it is to scan rather than read a wall of text.

With the ever increasing capabilities of technology, Interactive Infographics will surely explode and evolve. As designers and users of this medium.  I also think it is important to stay grounded  in the basics and foundations of design principals, so we are not overtaken by the technology but rather use it for our benefit. It is also important to stay grounded in NON-Digital means and our non-digital realities and it is something that has been overlooked at.



 REFERENCES CITED:


Meirelles, Isabel. Design for Information. Rockport publishers 2013

http://isabelmeirelles.com/infoDesignResource/

https://mashable.com/2012/07/09/how-to-create-an-infographic/?europe=true#RAPIwu23R8qo

https://www.ge.com/world-motion 

http://spacecraftforall.com/contact 

https://visual.ly/community/infographic/technology/infographics-benefits-their-use-online 

 

Process of Information Design

Here is a link to it on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFor6pKl6ro



I decided to do an info-video presentation on the process of Information Design and thought this would fit in nicely to describe the content covered. In the process of how information design is developed is unique per project. The order in which it’s developed can be overlapping and in different  combination orders. There are also many different types of Information Design and each has its own unique sense of workflow and design issues.
 What I would've added more to this is focus on the pipeline and workflow of the design process. The standard operating procedure of the team involved.

For me the most important aspect would be at the development stage. This is why in my video I tried to explain the overlapping nature of testing and developing and how the look and feel would change throughout.







Link to my script and storyboard

https://tlenzinformationdesign.blogspot.com/2019/03/process-of-information-design-script.html

                                     This is my Storyboard flowchart for the presentation video

Process of Information Design Script and storyboard

Scene 1. Title 

Scene 2. It starters with an Outline.  Handwriting animation

  Which describes the big picture. Computer monitor pops up.

Scene 3 Content is collected. Animations of files and floppy disks

  And organized. Animation of computer screen with file inside

Scene 4. Audience requirements are gathered. Animations of characters

  Research has begun

Scene 5.  Creative Brief. Should include:client and project info, goals and logistics, approval by client.

Scene 6. Site map. Wireframes ( with descriptions). Corresponding symbols inserted

Scene 7. Client meetings, internal team meetings, mockups and scenarios, personas, testing and surveying.

Scene 8. Research, development , testing. All popping up, fading and repeating in different fonts and colors

Scene 9. Release. Animation of sub design element and the word coming on screen.

Reference cited

M2 The Pro's and Con's of a theory. Nathan Shedroff

INFORMATION DESIGN

          With all these theories, my mind feels like it’s filled with scholars all debating and arguing their point of view. It is a clutter of Information, techniques and methodologies.

In Roams book he discusses how we need to gather information, spread it out to read it clearly, create a coordinate system and then practice visual triage(Roam 57). I feel I am doing the same thing when it comes to studying these theories and make sense of them. One thing I have done is create my notes in Microsoft OneNote. A normal written notebook will just not cut it. This information is nonlinear and a lot of it is in diagram form. OneNote  categorizes things into tabs so it is easy to move throughout and the information is spread out yet organized. Another great feature of OneNote is how it can be synced on multiple devices, also notes can be shared with other people. 

        

         Originally I had chosen Passini as my preferred theory on Information Design. It was practical and useful information without going too deep into hypothetical concepts. Passini focus’s mostly on the idea of wayfinding, which is simply a form of design which helps people get to their destinations. In contrast there is Shedroff who talks more about Interactive Information Design in which the viewer is an active participant in the end result and will go through an experience that the designer laid out to gain knowledge and then wisdom. His theory is limited to more interactive experiences such as games, co-creative applications, chat lines, discussion forums,etc. 

                                    Information Interaction Design

             His use of diagrams to show his point across is compelling and direct. Since I am studying in the field of Location-Based Entertainment Design, his theories and methodologies are very useful for me. I want to create environments that people can explore and experience in unique ways. For use in my blog I guess I could make it more interactive by adding a discussion or comment forum, an interactive game or lesson.

Pros

Compelling and clear descriptions with practical examples.

Information Interactive Design diagram/Idea

Understanding context diagram/idea 

Cons

In his article was limited to mostly discussion of interactive Information design which included information design as a component of that method.

AS A BONUS: a link to my discussion topic about Brenda Dervin 

 References cited: 

Roam, Dan. The Back OF The Napkin. Published by the Penguin Group. 2008

Jacobson, Robert   Information Design.  Article by Nathan Shedroff Information Interaction Design: A Unified Field Theory of Design. MIT Press. 2000

Images found on  

http://nathan.com/thoughts/