How New Wayfinding Solutions Are Impacting People With Disabilities

As technology progresses and new consumer needs advance, digital wayfinding strategies continue to evolve, catering to different demographics that can benefit from the navigational advantages interactive wayfinding can provide. One of the ways intricate wayfinding design has changed the way industries can cater to their customers is by improving accessibility for people with disabilities.

More than one-in-four adults in the U.S. are currently living with a disability. However, for decades, very little has been done to adequately refine how businesses can better serve their disabled customers, specifically in regards to providing a safer, secure, and more convenient environment. Fortunately, recent advances in digital signage and wayfinding software now offer a variety of opportunities to adhere to the needs of people with any forms of visual, audio, or mobile impairment.

From helping your business be more compliant with ADA guidelines to upgrading assistive technology, here are some of the ways that new wayfinding solutions are impacting people with disabilities for the better.

ADA Compliant Digital Signage

Since its inception in 1990, the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) has instituted a title designated for the ‘Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Public Accommodations and Commercial Facilities’. What this title essentially stands for is ensuring a set of standards for any public building to be designed and constructed with certain accessibility standards in mind for those living with disabilities.

But there’s more to this title than ensuring the physical architecture and infrastructure of a company’s building or office caters to people with disabilities. Digital signage displays have progressed in terms of design elements intended to improve accessibility for disabled users. Some of these newfound, ADA-compliant accommodations installed into digital signage stations include:

●        Designing screens that feature a non-glare finish, with a 70 percent contrast between the background and on-screen text or messages.

●        Incorporating strict dimensional guidelines, such as limiting wall-mounted digital signage screens to sticking out 4 inches or less from the wall, as well as digital signage stations maintaining a height range between 30 to 80 inches with the interactive content accessible between 15”- 48” from the floor, to maximize accessibility for the mobile impaired.

●        Creating wheelchair-friendly digital signage or kiosk enclosures with height-adjustable features for easier access.

●        Incorporating voice-responsive technology to improve access to content.

●        Provide a variety of audio (versatile volume control, universal headjack options, audio tone adjustments, etc.) and visual (custom zoom-in or zoom-out features, adjustable lighting or text-size adjustments, etc.) features.

Incorporating a wide range of these accessible resources allows for maximum functionality and improved user experience for disabled customers.

Mobile Mapping Capabilities

Digital wayfinding signage systems have evolved into essential components for companies to provide mapping resources for facilities requiring intricate navigation. But for millions of people living with an impairment, sometimes additional navigational options are required to sufficiently cater to their needs.

One of the biggest ways new wayfinding design and software has better catered to helping those with disabilities navigate their way around facilities is through mobile application development. This allows impaired users to receive inclusive navigational assistance directly on their smartphone, providing a simpler, more secure mapping resource they can comfortably access. Some of these specific mobile mapping features intended for people with disabilities to use include:

●        Smartphone-to-digital signage synchronization through QR codes or other forms of digital scanning

●        Step-by-step GPS routing features

●        Mapping previews, alert updates, and adapted routes for wheelchair users

●        Audio or text icon GPS guidance

Mobile wayfinding software does wonders for providing disabled users with a more customized, safe, and accessible mapping experience.

ADA-Compliant Digital Wayfinding Solutions

The more accessible your business is to people from all walks of life, the easier it is for everyone to have the greatest customer experience possible. If your company is interested in incorporating more ADA-compliant solutions into your digital wayfinding or signage system, Oppna Digital is here to help! Contact us today to receive custom wayfinding design options catered to your industry needs, or give us a call at 651.237.5677 to learn more about how digital wayfinding can better accommodate your clientele.