Improving Navigation with Interactive Wayfinding Systems
By Chris Wiegand, CEO, Jibestream
Have you ever gotten lost in a large and unfamiliar building like an airport – taken a wrong turn only to walk in circles?
It happens all the time. Thankfully, today’s digital signage and interactive wayfinding systems in airports, hospitals and other large, complex buildings can help visitors navigate with ease, speed and efficiency.
To demonstrate this, let’s look at interactive wayfinding systems in two everyday scenarios:
“Okay, we’re leaving from Gate 27 and apparently we get free coffee”
Your flight leaves in two hours. Upon arriving at the airport, you find the most accessible route to your gate on an interactive kiosk, based on real time data that reflects gate changes and pathway closures. Whoops, your flight is now leaving from gate A27 instead of A33. Good to know.
As you travel to gate A27 you receive a coupon for coffee from an airport vendor located right outside your gate. These personalized offers can be delivered directly to your mobile device via on screen messaging, SMS, social media, or other plug-ins that integrate with the digital wayfinding system at the airport. Upon arriving at gate A27, the system recognizes your destination city and delivers a coupon for a hotel to your mobile device.
“Good afternoon Mrs. Johnson, Dr. Green will be with you shortly”
You visit a large hospital for an appointment. As you enter, you are instructed to interact with a virtual concierge, a digital screen located in the main area. The screen prompts you to swipe your health card on a reader beside the kiosk. Immediately a message confirms your identity and displays a map indicating the exact location and detailed directions to your appointment.
Simultaneously, the system notifies the receptionist that you have arrived. But wait, you have a question. The virtual concierge is also a videoconferencing unit and, on your request, connects you to the receptionist through the screen. Ah, yes, Dr. Green’s office has moved up two floors. Very well.
These scenarios illustrate the benefits of interactive wayfinding systems. Passengers and patients like you and I have a positive and efficient experience by receiving personalized, real-time information that is both relevant and engaging. Businesses are able to deliver hyper-localized content to an already-interested audience and building owners can provide a unique user experience.
But there is more to wayfinding technology. Let’s talk business value.
Let’s look at the airport scenario first. The airport is able to reduce costs with improved operational efficiencies. Interactive kiosks compile usage reports, including number of users and kiosk activity levels and trends, which help public venues analyze traffic, optimize resources and staffing to better service visitors and improve operations. The systems help foster stronger relationships between venues and onsite vendors by creating promotional opportunities, such as the coffee example above.
In the hospital scenario, the use of interactive technologies and displays connect disparate sources of hardware and software applications, including the hospital scheduling system, to help reduce wait times and provide a seamless and efficient experience for the patient, the hospital and staff. Simply put, it helps the business of the hospital run more smoothly.
Today, intelligent networks bring together disparate technologies, where data can flow seamlessly from one system to another, creating a unified experience for us, the user. These systems present a seamless experience, letting visitors navigate even the most complex facilities, like airports and hospitals, efficiently.
But digital wayfinding technologies go beyond just presenting information. Integrating different sources of data, such as flight schedules with directional instructions, or passenger loyalty data with marketing communications, these systems create dynamic solutions that not only create a dynamic user experience, but also serve a venue’s ecosystem in the most efficient way possible, and create value for stakeholders.
Wayfinding technologies, as part of an intelligent network infrastructure provided by Cisco, allow us to navigate our increasingly complex world with ease while making good business sense. If you want to learn more about interactive wayfinding technology, visit our website.
Chris Wiegand has been an entrepreneur since age 10 with a proven track record for building and selling start-up companies. Recognizing trends and gaps in the market, Chris can guide an organization through strategic and tactical actions, capitalizing on opportunities. In his current venture, Chris is CEO and co-founding partner of Jibestream, a software company that specializes in digital wayfinding and interactive technologies. As a thought leader in the wayfinding technology industry, Chris often speaks at conferences on topics such as emerging technologies and accessibility, as they relate to wayfinding.
