MFA, Kent State University, 2023, College of Communication and Information / School of Visual Communication Design

I chose to focus on improving libraries to make them viable institutions in this age of quick information because I have noticed a gap in how libraries are perceived and utilized by the general public. As someone who works as a designer in the library system, I have observed a great emphasis on programming and events. However, not as much attention is given to the physical space and how it can be made more attractive to people of all ages and backgrounds. In today's fast-paced world, people have access to a wealth of information at their fingertips, making libraries appear to be less relevant than they were in the past. However, libraries still have an essential role to play in society, especially in fostering lifelong learning, community building, and providing access to resources that are not readily available to everyone. By rethinking how libraries are currently designed and used, we can ensure that they remain relevant and useful to people in the digital age. One of the key issues that I want to address is how to make the library a place that appeals to both adults and children. While libraries have traditionally been viewed as places for young children, there is a need to attract and engage adults with diverse interests and life commitments. By focusing on creating a space that is both visually appealing and offers resources and services that cater to adults, we can make libraries more attractive to a wider audience. Furthermore, I want to explore how the visual layout of libraries, including signage and wayfinding, can be optimized to help people navigate and better understand the resources available to them. Research has shown that people respond more quickly and accurately to visual stimuli, making it important to create clear and effective signage that can help people find what they need. By studying how visual cues can create an intuitive and easy-to-use library system, we can make libraries more user-friendly and accessible to all. In conclus (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kenneth O'Grady (Advisor); Chad Lewis (Committee Member); Jessica Barness (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Cultural Resources Management; Education; History; Information Systems; Library Science; Management; Marketing

MFA, Kent State University, 2023, College of Communication and Information

The combination of variable fonts and digital signage presents a unique and practical solution to the various challenges wayfinding systems face. These challenges include issues with readability, monolingual signage, low visibility, minimal readership, material waste, and limited adaptability to environmental conditions and space functionality. Variable fonts, on the other hand, are incredibly versatile and adaptive. They can be easily modified, and their display methods can be customized for any resolution or medium, static or digital. With new infrastructures and spaces emerging, typographic and display technologies are continually evolving. Designers must capitalize on and leverage these advancements to instill a better experience for those interacting with them. This investigation examines the directional attributes of a partially formed typeface to ascertain whether typography alone can aid users in navigating a given space. The findings of this investigation set the foundation for shaping the future of environmental graphic design and type design.

Committee: David Middleton (Advisor); Aoife Mooney (Committee Member); Jessica Barness (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Design; Instructional Design; Technology

MFA, Kent State University, 2017, College of Communication and Information / School of Visual Communication Design

This paper aims to widen the discourse on experience as an economic entity, which exists within retail settings that are deliberately designed and carefully controlled by service providers to elicit desired consumer behaviors. This body of research aims to underscore the importance of in-store wayfinding within the specific context of grocery shopping in large supermarkets by investigating the current state of affairs in the art of consumer experience design and the differentiation of consumer experience through wayfinding in retail spaces. To design retail experiences, we must first understand the elements that comprise and produce them; however, the subject of experience is complex and extensive. In an effort to expand the discussion surrounding the careful creation of consumer experiences, this paper aims to deconstruct the underlying components that contribute to our formation of experiences; examine the ways in which retail experiences are differentiated through wayfinding; and assess the overall effect of wayfinding on consumers' perception of grocery shopping experiences, as well as their subsequent choices and behaviors. Technology has become a ubiquitous presence in the space we occupy and pervasive force throughout our lives. We exist as part of a complex global society in which we are dynamically interconnected in a continuous exchange of information and experience. This paper suggests ways in which cutting edge and emerging technologies can be embedded into the underlying physical structure of retail environments—effectively infusing the store environment with highly targeted, personalized and anticipatory communication, with specific regard to the improvement of wayfinding in large grocery retail stores. Additionally, this paper aims to advance the discussion surrounding the use of emerging technologies not only as tools in the production of final artifacts destined three-dimensional environments; but also, as moldable media that can reorient (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jessica Barness M.F.A. (Advisor); Ken Visocky O'Grady M.F.A. (Committee Member); David Robins Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Communication; Computer Engineering; Computer Science; Design; Information Science; Psychology; Technical Communication

MFA, Kent State University, 2016, College of Communication and Information / School of Visual Communication Design

Post-industrial cities today are experiencing an influx of new generations moving into local urban communities. Street culture and walkable downtowns and districts are progressively developing in these urban areas, and the need is present for safer and interconnected bicycle infrastructure. Research has proven that the success of a walkable and bikeable environment plays a significant role in the comprehensive sustainability of a city. Therein lies an opportunity for design to help foster environmental experiences involving the urban streetscape. Experiential, or environmental, graphic design elements can improve the safety and connectivity of bicycle pathways for the betterment of the city as a whole. This investigation explores the value that environmental graphic design elements can contribute to the development of safer bicycle pathways, and further examines the role of wayfinding increasing the connectivity of urban bicycle networks. A case-study design investigation was executed involving districts and roadways in the near-west downtown Cleveland, Ohio area. The location is a primary link connecting west side neighborhoods to downtown Cleveland spanning three urban districts, making it a relevant area of study. This study uses design research tactics and prototypes to further understand how design can improve the user experience of Cleveland's bicycle pathways.

Committee: Ken Visocky O'Grady MFA (Advisor); Jessica Barness MFA (Committee Member); David Middleton MFA (Committee Member) Subjects: Design

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2015, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Community Planning

This paper illustrates how to use the comprehensive legible cityscape plan to revitalize a small city. The study is in Wilmington, Ohio. In the past two decades, especially in United States, lots of small cities are facing challenges, such as absorption by metropolitan cities, declining population, loss of working lands, lack of job opportunities and inactive commercial. How to solve these problems becomes one of the most important challenges for our society. By the methods of site research and analysis mapping, a comprehensive legible cityscape plan is developed. The comprehensive legible cityscape plan in this project consists of: retail store sign design, creating sense of entrance, wayfinding signs, creating or redesigning open space, main intersection redesign, bike lane and detail design, factory redesign and wall printing. The comprehensive legible cityscape plan will make the city of Wilmington more walkable, livable and legible. Moreover, it will bring back more residents, attract more visitors and create more job opportunities. As a conclusion, the comprehensive plan makes the city more legible, and revitalizing a small city reduces pressure on large cities and makes a better livable place for local residents.

Committee: Vikas Mehta Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Xinhao Wang Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Urban Planning

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2011, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

In an era of increasing digital architectural production, how can we escape what Christopher Alexander calls “the trivial games” of computer-aided design? One possible answer is to evaluate architecture by its architectural legibility, which is loosely defined as the effectiveness of a building or built environment to facilitate the movement and use of its occupants. This thesis proposes that the principles of human movement behavior and the cognitive science of wayfinding can provide empirical operating principles to develop digital patterning and parametric design components. Furthermore, these digital methods and products are measured not only by their ability to produce dynamically rich, experiential spaces, but also succeed in satisfying the fundamental requirements of orientation, architectural communication, and functional use.

Committee: George Bible MCiv.Eng (Committee Chair); Michael McInturf MARCH (Committee Chair) Subjects: Architecture

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2012, Speech Language Pathology

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Spaced Retrieval (SR) training in the use of external memory aids to assist long-term care residents with dementia in wayfinding. SR training sessions were analyzed for three individuals with dementia to document the impact of SR training on expected response mastery and generalization of finding his/her room unassisted. Results revealed mastery for one participant out of three (33%) with the given criterion. However, evidence of learning across sessions and generalization outside of training sessions was observed.

Committee: Michelle Bourgeois PhD (Advisor); Michael Trudeau PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Speech Therapy

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2012, Speech and Hearing Science

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Spaced Retrieval (SR) training to assist in wayfinding for long-term care residents with dementia. SR training sessions were analyzed for three individuals with dementia to document the impact of SR training on expected response mastery and generalization to physically going to their room. Results revealed an absence of mastery across in all three participants with the given criterion. There was limited evidence of generalization outside of the training sessions for not yet mastered expected responses. However, anecdotal reports from nursing staff were provided stating an increase in wayfinding abilities.

Committee: Michelle S. Bourgeois Ph.D. CCC-SLP (Advisor); Michael D. Trudeau Ph.D. CCC-SLP (Committee Member) Subjects: Speech Therapy

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2011, Industrial, Interior Visual Communication Design

This thesis investigates mobile wayfinding as an application, which proposes to assure efficient destination success and resource access. Currently, academic institutions are growing at a rapid rate and have underutilized resources due to limited visibility; mobile wayfinding can address some of these shortcomings. In large collegiate environments such as The Ohio State University, wayfinding systems appear to be lacking in clarity and location. It is my belief that in leveraging the current technology adoption trends there is a need for the development of a well-defined mobile wayfinding system—a system that offers the type of wayfinding and resource access experiences that college students really need. The research includes an audit of current mobile wayfinding and global positioning technology. An audit, along with design research, informed the construction of a methodology that can effectively frame a mobile wayfinding experience for college students.

Committee: R. Brian Stone (Advisor); Paul Nini (Other); Noel Mayo Dr. (Other) Subjects: Architecture; Design

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2003, City and Regional Planning

Wayfinding is the spatial knowledge about one's current location, destination, and the spatial relation between them. Wayfinding problems threaten people's sense of well-being, and cause loss of time and money. Designers and planners can improve wayfinding when they understand how physical environmental factors affect people's wayfinding performance. This study explores the effect of personal and physical environmental characteristics on wayfinding performance. The personal characteristics include gender, age, and familiarity. The physical environmental characteristics include plan layout complexity, physical differentiation and its components vertical and horizontal differentiation. The experiment had eighteen (2 x 3 x 3) simulated environments, with two plan layouts (complex and simple), three kinds of vertical differentiation (no differentiation, object landmarks, and building landmarks) and three kinds of horizontal differentiation (no differentiation, road width variation, road pavement variation), and it also had four different question orders. 166 volunteers (98 male, 68 female) were tested individually. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the question orders and to one of the simulated environments with the constraint that there would be equal number of people in survey types, in plan layout conditions, in vertical differentiation conditions, and in horizontal differentiation conditions. The experiment had a learning phase and a test phase. In the learning phase, participants actively explored one of the simulated environments at their leisure up to four minutes. In the test phase the participants completed three spatial knowledge tasks (a direction estimation task, a navigation task, and a sketching task) and a survey which had questions on gender, age, frequency of playing computer game, realism of the simulated environment judgement and wayfinding strategies used in the navigation task. As expected, the Simple layouts, Higher Physical Differenti (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jack L. Nasar (Advisor) Subjects: