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Wayfinding Implementation Guide - Next Gen

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A setup guide encompassing Wayfinding, Asset Tracking, and Maps, is available here

Click for information regarding:

Find out more about BLE beacons, what the minimum requirements are, and what configuration is required to use these.

Check the kiosk specifications for Wayfinding. 

Prior to Routing 

Before a route can be created, a location, building and floor plan needs created. 

Next, a destination needs to be added from the floor plan page, accessed via Maps > Locations > Your building > the relevant floor.  

To add a destination, select the destination pin icon next to the hand icon, from the floor plan toolbar:

12.png

Changes made will not auto-save so remember to select ‘Save’ periodically.

Any elements can be deleted by clicking the three dots ‘…’ next to the element’s title in the righthand sidebar that appears upon selection:

13.png

Add a destination

Select the destination point icon (1.png) from the toolbar, then click the map where you would like the destination marker to appear. A side panel will appear:

 - In the 'About’ tab you can: edit the name and description, include a website that the destination will link to, select whether to show the market and label, and define whether the marker always shows or only when zoomed in.

Clicking the blue comment box – 16.png– brings up the image selection option. Read more about the image library here.

When ‘Show marker’ or ‘Show label’ are selected, they will appear no matter how far the user is zoomed in or out. This functionality can be helpful to highlight exits and entrances, as well as important markers such as main reception desks.

Destinations can be turned into arrival points by selecting the 'Arrival point' checkbox. This allows the point to be used as an arrival location for users when navigating from offsite. 

 

- The ‘Category’ tab includes a dropdown menu to select the category that best describes the destination.

Selecting ‘Manage categories’ allows you to add or edit categories, including the insertion of related keywords for search terms which helps users find the destination.

Best practice
It’s important to add keywords to enable end users to more easily find relevant information. Best practice is to add multiple search terms for every category.

Suggested terms show to help you include relevant keywords. You need to initially select the Category, then search terms are proposed. Clicking the search term will add it as a related keyword. You can also add a custom search term by using the relevant box:

17.png

Search terms shown are not automatically added until you click them, e.g. ‘Dessert’ below:

18.png

 

- ‘Opening hours’ allows operating times to be selected, including the option to display the opening hours. To accurately display times, select ‘Open and Display Hours’ from the dropdown menu then click the pencil icon beside ‘Hours’. This allows opening days and times to be selected.

Opening hours are created in the local timezone. Common use cases include setting opening times for any food or beverage establishments, as well as for bathrooms.

 

- The ‘Routing’ tab enables a route to be created to help users navigate to the destination with a Wayfinding subscription. After creating a route, the default setting is for the destination to be linked to the closest node:

Care should be taken to ensure the dotted line doesn't pass through walls or other obstacles, as this will confuse end users. If routing issues are present, the ‘Automatically find the closest node’ option can be turned off. It then gives you the option to select an associated node to direct users to the destination.

 

Setting up routes

Select the routing icon 21.png from the toolbar present on the floorplan page. You will then be prompted to draw your new route on the map:

22.png

Each node and edge will appear on the left-hand side of the screen. The node is the white dot where turns can be made, while the edge is the straight line where people can walk.

Best practice
When implementing the routes, it’s best to aim for each edge to be in the center of corridors. The routes will show to end users and look better when centered as much as possible.

It’s not possible to have a standalone node by itself. If you delete a node, it also deletes the edges that are joined to it.

Edges are by default multi-directional so can be traversed both ways. Nodes and edges will automatically join to one another when close enough, for ease of use.

Edge properties

Click on an edge to bring up the ‘Edge properties’ on the right-hand side of the screen. The directions are automatically populated with a northern bearing. E.g. the below edge populates with “Walk east” for direction A to B, and “Walk west” for direction B to A:

23.png

The description can be modified in the ‘Edge properties’ sidebar.

Corridors can be marked as Active or Inactive. If the corridor is completely closed, you have to mark the corridor as inactive for both ‘Direction A to B’ and ‘Direction B to A’:

24.png

It’s possible to have one direction open and the other closed.

In the same ‘Edge properties’ sidebar, the ‘Weight’ defines the prioritization of a route. This means main routes with wider corridors or points of interest can be highlighted over alternative paths. 1 has the highest route priority, with 10 the lowest.

Routes are marked as wheelchair accessible by default. To alter this, scroll down in ‘Edge properties’ and turn the ‘Wheelchair accessible’ toggle off:

25.png

Node properties

Selecting a node will bring up the ‘Node properties’ sidebar. The name of the node can be altered, along with the option to upload an icon and set the label to show with the node name on the map for users:

26.png

The marker can be set to always show no matter how zoomed in or out the user is, or it can be set to only show when zoomed in.

Click ‘Portal options’ and select the box 'This node is a portal' to designate the node as a portal. This allows for connections between floors e.g. via an escalator, elevator, entrance/exit, skybridge, or stairs:

Selecting ‘Add connection’ will allow you to link it with portals on other floors to help users navigate between buildings or floors.

When changing between floors or buildings, a loading screen will show. Portals are designed to be connected like-for-like, e.g. a ground floor reception elevator to the first floor elevator, so the user has a seamless experience.

Best practice
Create a naming convention when managing nodes to assist with connecting multiple together. Including the node’s name, location and level is best practice (e.g. ground floor lobby elevator, first floor reception escalator).

To rename nodes, click on the desired node within the map or from the 'Content' left-hand side bar, and fill in the new name in the right-hand side 'Node properties' section. 

Change map position

Select the hand icon from the toolbar, then click and drag the map until you get your desired view.

Add Square, off-shape and circular icons

To add these elements , select the appropriate shape required from the floor plan toolbar, click the map at the position you wish to place the shape, and drag to fit.

To quickly hide or close off an area, create a shape then overlay it on the map area. This can be particularly useful for temporary closure of structures such as corridors, as the shapes are easy to remove as well as insert. The shape can be recolored so as to blend in with other backgrounds to more easily denote closures.

Colors, opacity and border thickness are changed by selecting the circular buttons at the bottom of the map. The option to duplicate and delete shapes are also present in the same menu bar:

20.png

Insert an image or icon

Select the image icon from the toolbar (12.png) on the floor plan maps page, then click the map where you would like the image to appear.

A default image will appear, as well as a sidebar on the right of the screen. Scroll down this sidebar to select a different icon from the image library. An array of icons are available, including elements such as doorways, WiFi, parking, and exit points.

Give the image a name, and select the scale, latitude and longitude, width, height, rotation and opacity. Many of these image properties can also be changed by dragging and resizing the image on the map. Size and rotation can be altered by selecting the four corners of the image and using the arrow above the image.

The image can be automatically scaled and rotated as a user zooms and pans around the map by toggling ‘Scale and rotate with zoom’. Having this turned on means that the image stays a consistent size and angle regardless of how much the user is zoomed in or out.

Click here for instructions on how to upload your own image.  

Select ‘Save’ once complete.

Accessible Routes

Accessible routes provide additional options for people with disabilities who find certain terrain difficult to traverse.

Accessible elements taken into account can be tailored based on location and user requirements. Commonly considered elements include stairs, raised or rough terrain, and escalators.

In the below examples, a direct route and accessible route to the pharmacy are provided. The accessible route takes one minute longer to reach the destination but avoids stairs that are present in one corridor:

Direct route.png

Accessible route.png

A toggle above the routes can be selected so only accessible routes show. When switched on, every route available to users will be those deemed as accessible:

Accessible route toggle.png

In the rare case where no accessible routes are available, this will be clearly displayed in the user interface:

Accessible routes - none available.png

Edges default to accessible when creating routes. When an edge is selected, a toggle is present in the bottom right of the editor which allows it to be designated as not wheelchair accessible:

Accessible route wheelchair toggle.png

Kiosk functionality

When using a kiosk there is a wheelchair icon which, when selected, moves all icons down to the bottom of the screen for easier usability. This button also selects the accessible routes filter so users are automatically provided with relevant routes. A toggle remains present on screen to allow all routes if desired.

 

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