Christmas!

I chose to do my analysis on Ricketts Glen State Park. I think it is a good example of the theory of wayfinding.

I used to live near there and spent many pleasurable hours hiking their trails with my kids. I used to complain to my children about the design of their signage long before I knew that I would be taking this class. I also got lost on more than one occasion.
When you enter the park there is a large information center that is relatively new and there was clearly a lot of research into its design. There are a lot of displays and a large map on the wall of the entire park and their trails.

Once you enter the park things are not so clear.
There are very few images to help convey information to someone from another country or even to a younger child.

The trails are blazed with small metal signs like the one in the picture. The problem is, they are few and far between and sometimes they fall off. This is where the getting lost comes into play.
Isn’t this helpful…

There aren’t a lot of signs explaining how dangerous some of the trails are. This is the only sign they have up and it has been up for years. There is a cutout from a newspaper article about a hiker’s dangerous fall. The article is yellow with age and very hard to read.

The purpose of information design is to educate and explain a message or directions in the clearest way possible using the least amount of narrative. I believe that Ricketts Glen State Park should upgrade their signage and add images and icons to help hikers to know where they are and where they are going. Clearly, interactive design doesn’t work in this natural setting, but I believe some more current signage could still be used and keep the rustic natural look that the park wants to maintain. I also think that there should be more information on the historical perspective of the park and the different trails. This is not a situation where color or font is going to make the difference that it does in other settings. What will make a difference in this situation is the proper signs in the right places.

The Information Design Workbook went into detail about different design tools that are used to solve information design challenges. The use of color, scale, structure, rhythm, motion and sound are basic tools that help convey the message of the designer. The goal of the designer is to create a project that can be easily navigated by differentiating types of information and creating a sense of hierarchy that helps the end user have a good experience. Adding an interactive component enhances the communication experience for the user. Today you will find several interactive programs of simulation on different websites that help customers or clients make choices. You can get free virtual hair styles to see how they would look on you, you can purchase eyeglasses after uploading your picture and seeing how the glasses look on your face, and a person can design their own home and select and view options for a new vehicle.

Since this blog is focused on Christmas, I have added an interactive game that allows you to decorate a Christmas tree. If this was a real web based business, selling Christmas trees already decorated and brought to your door, I feel the website would have much better graphics. The game does give you an idea of how a business might use this type of interactive web application to increase sales. Unfortunately there are ads prior to the start of the game, so please be patient and try it out.

Works Cited
Baer, K. (2009). Information Design Workbook. Beverly, MS: Rockport Publishers.
Jacobson, R. (2000). Information Design. London: MIT Press.