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Intime, a subsidiary of Alibaba Group, operates a network of shopping malls across China. However, these malls faced challenges due to the lack of a unified navigation and guidance system, leading to inconsistent user experiences across locations.
During my internship at Intime, I worked with the design department to develop a comprehensive set of visual specifications for their guide systems. This initiative aimed to standardize the design of guide boards across various Intime malls, ensuring clarity and consistency.
As a core member of the project, I was responsible for exploring and defining the visual standards of the main guide boards from an academic and ergonomic perspective. To ensure the effectiveness of these standards, I referenced academic literature on ergonomics and conducted eye-tracking experiments to quantify and visualize design rules. This process led to the creation of clear, research-backed standards that addressed the inconsistencies in guide board design across Intime's malls, including those in cities like Hangzhou.
The main goal, besides designing a standard visual wayfinding system, was to:
To gain a comprehensive understanding of the domain, I employed multiple initial research methods. I interviewed the head of the design department to gather insights on the business requirements for this project. Additionally, I photographed guide boards in 5 Intime malls to document the existing wayfinding system. Furthermore, I conducted Contextual Inquiry with 24 users within the mall to understand their experiences with the current wayfinding system. Moreover, I reviewed past design guidelines for the wayfinding system, providing a solid foundation for creating the user journey map, which would serve as a key tool for the overall design process moving forward.
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Through the use of the Affinity Diagram, all data was analyzed and summarized into key insights and problem areas regarding the wayfinding system. The first issue identified was the difficulty in finding parking guidance, which causes confusion for drivers navigating the mall’s parking areas. Additionally, it was found that hanging signs in distant locations are hard to read, making it challenging for visitors to spot important wayfinding information from afar.Furthermore, the analysis revealed that signs directing visitors to different zones are difficult to locate, leading to inefficiencies in navigation. Another issue identified was the lack of consistency in signage design, including the placement of guide signs and the arrangement of information, resulting in cognitive overload as users struggle to process different styles of guidance.
We also created a User Journey Map incorporating spatial journeys to better illustrate the navigation experience:
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We developed information architecture diagrams for different signage types based on the user journey map, prioritizing key information and structuring its hierarchy. Using these diagrams, we created interface frameworks and refined them through interviews and discussions with stakeholders. Through iterative improvements, we finalized the design and optimized its placement strategy, incorporating visibility analysis and perspective-based adjustments to enhance clarity, accessibility, and overall user experience.
Below is an example of the design process for one of the signages:
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Below are the design outcomes for the 7 key wayfinding signs identified from the user journey map:
To assess the alignment of new visual standards with ergonomic principles, an online eye-tracking experiment was designed. The process includes capturing video footage of different sign types, creating comparison materials through AE's mocha, conducting eye-tracking experiments, and collecting data online. By analyzing participants' gaze behavior, the study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and usability of the new signage design.
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A total of 23 valid data were collected from the experimental group and 16 valid data were collected from the control group:
To enable store designers to adapt guide signs based on real-world store conditions while maintaining consistent reference standards, additional eye-tracking experiments were conducted to refine design principles. Based on these insights, a set of quantitative evaluation methods was developed to ensure data-driven and user-centered design improvements.
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We integrate standards derived from literature research, visual design principles, and experimental studies into a comprehensive quantitative evaluation system. This system enables store designers to systematically assess the effectiveness of signage design and make data-driven adjustments accordingly.
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Meanwhile, we employ this measurable evaluation system to systematically assess the proposed design solutions, demonstrating superior performance compared to previous approaches:
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