BUILD: Open Arch Wayfinding

With a successful mid-semester review behind us, we began the second half of the design process this week. Build is an exciting step, as it marks the first point in which we begin to get our hands dirty in materializing the concept we have spent the first few months deliberating over.

We decided that our low fidelity prototype would focus on the content, rather than the form, of the wayfinding sign we were designing. We wanted to make sure that what was actually being presented was solid and coherent, before we began diving into the specifics of the medium for which it is being presented. Thus, we rapidly prototyped lots of low fidelity content concepts, finally settling on our first prototype.

The content of our first prototype consisted of a labeled map of the fifth ward area, with relevant areas grouped into different categories. The map would sit at the top of our sign, with the list of the different points of interest below it. We would additionally put important information, such as distance to the given point, next to the name of the highlighted locations.

The low-fidelity step is critical in the build phase. With our basic understanding of where we want our content to be directed, we can now begin to test that content with users in order to determine what changes need to be made. Without doing the low-fidelity step, we cannot ensure that our content is high quality and coherent. It’s great to be able to take the build phase sequentially, as it enables us to make sure that our high-fidelity prototype is as coherent as possible.

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