Infographic and Wayfinding Topic 2

This weeks investigation is all about informative graphics and wayfinding. I will be studying 3 wayfinding designs in this post.

The first investigation is a pedestrian crossing at an intersection with a diagonal crosswalk. In my observations I noticed how the pedestrians interacted with the section and what they were doing while crossing.



The people crossing all interacted in various different ways with the crossing and the signals. There were those who would eagerly wait for the signal to turn green so they could cross as soon as possible, while others would wait leisurely to cross. Other people would be walking and looking at their phones and not paying much attention to their surroundings.

The signage around the crossing was adequate, pedestrians knew where they could cross. However there was not enough signs for the street names to inform them where they are. The buttons for the crossing lights are easily accessible by all heights of people, there is even a beeping noise for the blind to know where the button is. There were no grid pads for those wanting to cross diagonally but all sides had grids for those crossing horizontally and vertically.


The next wayfinding design I looked at was the Apple website. Apple is known as a top of the line distributor that targets everyone from the business man high up on the ladder to the typical teenager. So their website would have to look professional and classy to suit such a wide audience. The menu bar at the top is clean and looks professional. The bar clearly displays the different categories for their products.



The main page (Below) follows this sleek professional look, Apple is showcasing their latest product the iPhone 11 Pro. However as you scroll down the page the layout changes and the page becomes cluttered with their products.



The page goes from sleek professional design to professional but busy. They keep the aesthetic of clean imagery and design throughout however it feels cluttered and far too busy.



Navigation around the website is easy and simple. There are no drop down menus or any pop outs when you navigate around the site. If we go to the iPhone page you are given little thumbnails and text showing you the different iPhones and accessories available at the store. The layout is cohesive and very legible. The latest products are kept to the left of the bar and on the far right are the accessories for it, this format is kept throughout the site.



The Apple website is well designed, it has great flow and ease of use and navigation. The only problem I personally have with the site is the cluttered design at the bottom of the pages. I zoomed out a bit to get a better view of the layout for different tabs. The layout near the bottom when zoomed in looks very busy and a lot to take in.




The next design I studied was the Mightyape website. This is a store for many different types of people. Their target audience is a wide range of people from teenagers to adults with kids, probably between the ages of 14 to 50. They sell pop culture products, daily use items, electronics, books and more. The type of people that would typically visit Mightyape are those looking for a bargain/sale/deal. Typically your average, not rich, person would come here to look for products.



The design of the site is set so that the most popular categories are at the top just below the main menu bar. The search bar in the centre at the top of the page is to make it easier for those searching for a specific item making navigation easy. The blue bar stands out as a detailing tab for any new people visiting to show what makes Mightyape special. The Header has a clean and simple design. The grey and white complements well with the blue and orange of the website. The customer can feel at ease while browsing, these colours give a sense of trustworthiness and calmness, as the colours are easy on the eyes and do not contrast with each other.



Going to the Electronics page from the front the customer is met with another sliding tab for the top wanted/selling electronics. On the left there is a column with the different labels for products with the "Featured" to "Imports" and then categories and brands giving the customer options to narrow down their search. There is a cohesiveness in the layout and design when looking at the Homepage and Electronics page.
The column on the left lines up perfectly with the left side of the homepages sliding products tab. The "Best Sellers" section doesn't line up with the