Blue Monday may seem a bit gimmicky, but there’s good reason why many of us feel a bit downcast at this time of year. The festivities of Christmas are a distant memory, and there’s still a whole lot of winter left before the season makes way for spring.
It’s not just people, either. Places feel different in winter, too. The weather is harsher and the days are shorter, darker and less welcoming. All these factors make navigation harder. It’s no wonder that we tend to batten down the hatches. But getting out and about can help you keep your spirits up in winter.
It might take more to persuade us to step outdoors but getting out can have a hugely positive impact on our health and wellbeing.
Being outdoors lowers stress hormones, eases blood pressure and even improves gut health. It’s not only good for our physical health; being close to nature improves our mood, boosts self-esteem and helps relieve anxiety, depression and seasonal affective disorder.
So, while the easiest option might be to hunker down and hibernate for winter, it’s important to find ways to still get outdoors this winter. And the more inviting places feel, the more likely we are to venture out. That’s where wayfinding comes in.
In our line of work, we’re lucky to visit plenty of new places and get a first hand take on how welcoming and easy they are to navigate. Quality way finding is one way in which places can become more user friendly and encourage more of us to stay a little longer and walk a little further.
Here are a few ways wayfinding can help people get outdoors.
Lighting becomes especially important in winter.
Pedestrian routes need to feel safe to be chosen. That meanswell signed and, ultimately, well lit. The right signage, easy to spot and easy to understand, helps you feel confident
Digital or illuminated signage comes into its own in thewinter months, drawing attention even from a distance, and functioning as important navigational markers.
Intuitive wayfinding is more likely to help users engagepositively with a place. It reduces friction and helps move people alongwithout feeling overfaced by navigational decisions. Which is ideal in winter, whenwe tend to feel more tired and less alert.
Done well, signage can create a warm welcome, through a carefully honed tone of voice. A warm message of “just five minutes to…” or “head this way” can encourage you along, with the promised, much needed pit stops nearly in reach.
Wayfinding can also strengthen connections with nature, whether and urban extension like Berewood, a campus like Alderley Park, or a leisure route like Ireland’s Blueways and Greenways. Informative panels shed light on a place’s stories, and its local wildlife, while useful navigational signage on less-well trodden routes can help them become, well, more trodden.
OK, we know we’re meant to be encouraging people to walk a little further, but the reality is that in winter people are less likely to linger and more intent on finding their destination as quickly as possible (before the heavens give way).
The right gateway signage in the right location helps pedestrians to know where they’re headed and when they’ve got there.
The onus isn’t all on the signs, though. Building design is important, too. The best places explain themselves, and when the architecture does its job well, people can see clearly where a building entrance is, so you don’t need a sign in the first place.
Winter might test our resolve to get outside, but thoughtful wayfinding can be the gentle nudge we need.
Wayfinding plays an important role in making sure public spaces are well signposted, well-lit and work for people all year round, not just when the sun’s out. It can help people feel confident, safe and curious – all the ingredients needed to keep people exploring through the darker months.
We’d love to encourage you to get out there, look up and explore new places this winter. It’s one of the best things you can do to keep your spirits up and look after yourself.
