Speaking from an interactive wayfinding provider’s standpoint, the process of developing a project is one that requires extremely thorough developers, designers and project managers. Everything from the quoting process, to the needs assessment to the graphical design and plotting of each floor requires efficiency and an experienced hand.
As interactive wayfinding progresses, the selection of providers grows as many companies are seeing an opportunity to generate revenue on a new technology. Sometimes selection is everything, and having many options enables a client to seek out the quickest turn around time and lowest price. However, interactive wayfinding is not an investment that one should sacrifice quality for cost. Trying to save from spending a few extra dollars on something of this caliber can also save you from being satisfied with the end result. Investment aside, there are also many other things to be weary of during this decision making process. Choosing a provider can be a difficult task.
Being an industry veteran for 10 years, and the earliest company to not only patent processes in wayfinding but to offer interactive wayfinding, I can confidently say that I live and breathe wayfinding. It is my job to know all there is to know on this topic. And here are a few things I have learned about the sudden crop of new providers.
1. While there may be 40 new providers (for example), there are only 3 of that 40 that actually develop the product. The other 37 are outsourcing developing to those 3 companies (two of them being companies I work with).
2. The problem with choosing a provider that outsources development is the project release time doubles, and any updates, maintenance adjustments and development design requests also have an increased turn around time. All of these things are being done third party and are out of your providers hands.
3. The cost is higher. The provider you chose has to make a profit, so they are tacking on cost to what the developer is charging. If it is still the lowest quote that you received, than you are in trouble. You get what you pay for.
4. Paying a provider for your wayfinding system, when you have access to the companies they source it from is going to result in a lot of headaches and higher investments.
These are just a few small examples reflecting why it can be difficult choosing your Interactive Wayfinding provider. I know these frustrations not only from sense, but from listening to and trying to assist with the complaints of potential and new clients that had initially gone with another Vendor sourcing development elsewhere.
Both companies that I run business development for are the sole creators of their wayfinding apps. There is no third party, when a client speaks with the design team or the developers, they are speaking directly with the people who are creating their program.
Interactive Wayfinding 