Mapping Out the World via Digital Wayfinding Software

Have you ever walked into a large shopping mall or hospital and not known how to get to where you need to go? 

While there has always been some map to guide you, several companies now lean toward using digital maps to give directions.  

You have probably seen these digital maps as large touchscreen billboards allowing you to interact and search where you want to go. This technology has been coined as digital wayfinding software. It aids people across the globe to navigate themselves in the physical world while viewing a map in a digital form. 

Digital wayfinding devices are normally used in large spaces such as hospitals, college campuses, airports, casinos, convention centers, shopping malls, and building complexes. 

From maps to apps: The growing appeal of digital wayfinding software

Wayfinding was coined in the 1960s to define how large numbers of people move in a large area, especially when unfamiliar with the site and unsure of where to go.

Usually, that meant using static maps since that was the best option then. However, using static maps has not always been the best solution to helping people navigate spaces. Especially as buildings change, shops move, and construction happens, those static maps would become obsolete as another map had to be created in response to the changed conditions. This paved the way for digital maps to be created.

This software has become so accessible because of several reasons:

• It allows users to find where they need to go more easily.
• It saves users time, effort, and stress and allows people navigating certain spaces to have a better experience in their location. 
• These tools can modify the digital map to reflect the current space and the changes made.

Digital maps are everywhere

Now let's dive into the benefits for businesses implementing digital wayfinding technology. The various benefits are:

Customer experience: Digital wayfinding software increases interaction with customers as they are able to navigate through a space more easily, but it also attracts more customers when there is a positive experience using the digital map. 

Especially when the digital wayfinding tool can provide in-depth information or special discounts that help convince customers to return to the business. 

A significant upside for businesses using digital wayfinding maps is the ability to elevate a company's brand. According to inurface media, digital signage can increase brand awareness by over 47%. By using logos, brand names, and promoting deals, it is very easy for a business to attract customers and market itself to other potential customers.

Customization: Another advantage of using this technology is that there are various ways to present the map information. 

Digital map information is very customizable, as the map can be presented via animated 3D or 2D maps, a searchable directory, alphabetically by floor or room, or whatever other needs that would most satisfy the technology users. 

Digital wayfinding maps can personalize the customer journey by recommending locations of interest to users, showing popular places on the map, delivering promotional messages, and more. 

Eco-friendly: Digital wayfinding software is an eco-friendly option that benefits the planet. There is no need to waste paper and prints of maps that might have to get redone anyway when a location changes. 

This keeps sustainability a priority and attracts users to a fun interactive touch screen that can help them with the information they seek. 

With the above benefits, investments in digital wayfinding drive value for organizations by helping customers and sales while providing a positive experience for all who use the tool. 

What does G2’s Digital Wayfinding category show?

On G2, there are various ways our collected data determine whether products or categories are well liked by customers. 

One of the ways G2 measures how well a product is doing is via the Simple Six satisfaction rates. This allows reviewers to rate on a scale of 1 to 7 to review a product they have used, with seven being the highest and one being the lowest of how satisfied the user feels after using the product. 

The graph below reflects the average of all Digital Wayfinding products in G2’s category that have been reviewed using the above criteria. 

From the graph, it is clear that, on average, reviewers rate products within the Digital Wayfinding category extremely high. These products are very easy to use, easy to set up, easy to administrate, meet requirements of use, easy to do business with, and provide quality support. 

The average for this is 6.5 out of 7, which is a high overall satisfaction rating.  

Since G2 is a buyer-first organization, these reviews reflect genuine, honest opinions and accurate sentiments for digital wayfinding software. This, therefore, indicates how useful digital wayfinding software is for businesses. 

Finding your way into the future

If someone asked you to pick a paper or digital map today, you would go for a digital map without a contest.  

Not only do digital maps have the ability to update over time to reflect the physical changes of the space, but it allows for search capabilities, pinpointing locations, data analytics, and more information than a physical map can even fathom to contain. It is clear the time for digital wayfinding maps is here, but where else is in store for it? 

We expect 3D holographic generated maps to be the next thing on the list, especially as 3D printing and 3D rendering models continue developing in various industries. This is also important as it increases the accessibility of digital maps for those who need sensory-friendly interaction. This will allow people of all ages to touch, hear, or see a map.  

Although this is the key trend we forecast, there is a vast realm of possibilities for growing digital wayfinding technology. Software creators have numerous opportunities to keep mapping out the path to help the public find their way.  

Deep dive into the world of navigation and learn more about what GPS tracking is and how it benefits your business.

Edited by Shanti S Nair