Juror Award
Johns Hopkins i-Site Information Kiosk
Baltimore, MD
Cloud Gehshan Associates, Philadelphia, PA
Virginia Gehshan (Designer in Charge), Barbara Schwarzenbach (Senior Designer), Ken Olschewske, Peter Kelly, Dorothy Funderwhite (Designers)
Dolch Touch Controls
The Johns Hopkins University
This network of twelve computerized kiosks creates one-stop wayfinding centers for visitors. The i-Sites integrate existing leading-edge technology with customized components and software. A psychologist worked with the design team on the user interface; redundancy (where users are offered more than one way to get information) was key to the design, which was extensively field-tested. Although hi-tech, the low-profile units are designed to fit into a campus where the traditional architecture and park-like grounds are paramount.
"This project represents great vision and foresight in challenging technology for complex wayfinding in an exterior environment. This campus has a wide array of uses and demands for information. Using a LED screen accommodates clarity and focuses the user based on need. Time will test durability and whether there will be greater comprehension of information. The challenge here is the overall industrial design of the unit."
"This kiosk demonstrates the power of interactive digital communications media to tailor wayfinding to the individual needs of a diverse range of users. As technology becomes increasingly affordable and reliable, hopefully more wayfinding design solutions will continue this exploration."