Elevating commerce and discoverability through interactive wayfinding
Company
Intersection x Sidewalk Labs (Google)
Timeline
2019
Role
Lead Product Designer
Team
PM, Dev
The challenge
Hudson Yards was an unprecedented design challenge: direct a diverse group of users in a completely new neighborhood containing residential, office, cultural, hospitality, and retail spaces in Midtown Manhattan.
With no existing navigation patterns or familiarity, residents, office workers, tourists, and shoppers needed comprehensive wayfinding support and the development operators needed to drive traffic to businesses and experiences.
My approach
A research foundation of comprehensive interviews with stakeholders and visitors.
Through interviews and observational studies I identified key moments where strategic intervention could improve the user experience and drive business outcomes.
The impact
An intuitive system grounding first-time tourists, daily commuters, and residents that also directs traffic to retail and cultural spaces.
I developed a contextual information architecture that immediately orients users and progressively discloses detailed navigation and business information. It balances quick wayfinding needs with discovery opportunities for Hudson Yards' diverse offerings.
The results
30+
kiosks deployed with 42" portrait touchscreens
5,000+
users on first day of operation
120,000+
ongoing daily visitors supported
A comprehensive wayfinding ecosystem
Launching navigation infrastructure for an entire neighborhood
The research insight: Iterative user research with prototypes showed that successful wayfinding requires not just static information, but the contextual understanding of a space and what it contains.
The solution
A comprehensive digital wayfinding system optimized for diverse user needs, lack of familiarity, and accessibility: progressive disclosure; contextual information; UI for all users.
Progressive disclosure: The flow holds the hand of the user and sets them up for success: business discovery → orientation → detailed navigation.
Contextual information architecture: The dynamic content system adapts based on kiosk location and works in concert with other digital and static signage. Once a user finds their destination, the system creates a location specific QR code that transfers directions to their device.
UI for all: A flexible interface accommodating residents, workers, tourists, and shoppers of different heights and mobility needs
Impact: The kiosk system launched successfully with the opening of the retail center and demonstrated immediate user adoption and business impact by serving 5000+ users on the first day. The framework accommodates campus expansion and evolving business needs while maintaining consistent user experience.