DSDN 112: In-Class Exploration Of Navigation

In our first class for the new project, we were told to choose a destination somewhere in the School of Design, and create instructions on how to get there. We had to choose how the instructions were going to be read, be it either written instructions, a map, or drawn pictures.

My group decided to do written instructions, as these made the most sense to us personally. We made the instructions very elaborate and made sure to include landmarks along the way, such as a bright yellow evacuation chair and a particular room sign. One of the things we decided not to do was give away the destination right at the start, because we wanted to see if it would be possible to actually direct someone to a location using only written instructions.

Our hapless victims were able to follow our instructions to the tee, and promptly returned with out little note which we placed at the destination.

Other groups tried different methods of giving directions, and the group from whom we got our set of instructions used a map. One of the flaws of their map was that their instructions made an assumption that the  victims already knew the location. Had someone else from outside the school been given the instructions, they most likely wouldn't have found the destination.

However, their map method did have some advantages. Their map didn't only show the destination, but it also showed other facilities that were around the final destination point, which I have to say was very useful and another victim who might be unfamiliar would probably find this information very informative. The use of symbols to denote the different rooms, such as a dollar sign for the shop, and a hammer for the workshop was very effective, and definitely aided in finding the location.

For a highly effective directional system, a combination of both maps and directions would be the most beneficial system of navigation. Maps are a relatively universal guidance system, and therefore should be relatively intuitive. However, that said, there are a lot of people who have real trouble reading maps, so therefore the directions should assist them. The duality of this system should ideally address both types of users of a navigation system.