The Importance of Wayfinding and ADA Signage

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Wayfinding and directional signage has become an increasingly important element of creating positive visitor and customer experiences. In a fast-paced world people need to know exactly where they are going with no confusion.

This type of signage spans from reception signs to complex maps for large spaces. Businesses that experience high volumes of people particularly benefit from wayfinding and directional signage to ease the flow of visitors.

The Importance of Wayfinding Signage

Essentially, your signage needs to answer two questions for your visitors: ‘Where am I?’ and 'Where am I going?’ Once these questions have been quickly and easily answered then your visitors will feel comfortable and confident moving around the space, whether that be inside a building or around external premises.

It can be tough for individuals to navigate themselves and find their way in a new environment. It is vital for visitors and locals to be provided with information and guidance to ensure they get the most out of the environment. Directional signage is a great way to ensure buildings and attractions can be located easily. Directional signage has many benefits, including boosting local businesses, promoting the use of local amenities, and providing the nearest location for facilities.

We always hear "location, location, location,” emphasizing the importance of a highly visible and accessible location for your business. Unfortunately, not every location is ideal and those that are often come at a hefty price. Many times, it is much more cost effective to rent a building at a lower cost and successfully direct customers to your location. Directional signs for businesses in this situation can be as varied as the types of businesses themselves. Use custom aluminum signs for an exterior option that is long lasting and effective. Banners and billboards also present durable solutions for directional signage.

Place yard signs on adjacent and surrounding streets to guide customers directly to your store. Regardless of the type of sign you choose, Divine Signs and Graphics directional sign options will allow you to create the perfect sign for your business. We are even happy to custom design one if you do not see the sign you need!

What are the top four benefits of wayfinding and directional signage?

1.Letting people know where to go

Simply, wayfinding and directional signage tells people where they need to go and how to get there. Nearly all businesses and companies require some form of wayfinding and directional solutions, whether that be a building with multiple offices, a hospital or doctors’ surgery with different departments, a university campus, or a shop with a concealed entrance.

2.Customer familiarity

When visiting shops and restaurants customers want to feel at ease and confident in their purchasing journey. How people engage with spaces has become increasingly important; when visiting a new place, a functional wayfinding system is the perfect solution to help visitors make the most of their experience.

3.Extending your brand

It is a common misconception that wayfinding and directional signage can be unsightly and placed as an afterthought, however this is not the case. New signage can be carefully and thoughtfully incorporated into your existing branding, creating a concise message with an eye-catching design while still offering accurate, easy to follow guides.

4. Health and Safety

Wayfinding and directional signage are essential for Health and Safety. For concerts and festivals with large crowd’s accurate signage helps people disperse safely and quickly. For industrial areas directional signage helps to distinguish pedestrian areas and helps direct drivers.

What is ADA Signage?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) secures equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in employment, public accommodations, transportation, state and local government services and telecommunications. Title III of the ADA applies to public accommodations, which are private entities that are open to the public. Signage is covered under section 4.30.1.

ADA signs are signs that are now required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. ADA signs include raised text and graphics and Braille. Most buildings are required to provide this type of sign for suite numbers, directional and restroom signs.

According to Section 216.2 of the ADA, buildings must have compliant ADA signs with braille that provide labels, names, or designations for interior spaces or rooms where the sign is not likely to change over the course of time and will serve the same function for more than 7 days.