Product 101: Digital Directory Redesign

All about the new-and-improved Mappedin Digital Directory. Learn what to expect with the relaunch and how we improved the user experience. 

Our Digital Directory product was originally designed to meet the needs of the search-first user and to showcase the map at the forefront. With the expansion of malls into experience-driven spaces, the product needed to provide both the utility of wayfinding and the discoverability of those experiences and services.

User types 

When entering a venue, visitors have different objectives in mind. These objectives can be distilled down into several user classifications when interacting with a digital directory. 

For the search-based users, they are looking to find things quickly. Enabling this within our UX allows for high usage numbers and getting people where they want to go efficiently, if they know where they are going. 

On the other hand, discovery-based users want to know what is available to them; what there is to see and do within a space. Being able to drive their decisions provides huge value in turn to our customers.

We constantly look at best practices for design and usability and how they apply to our products. Seeing the evolution over the years, and reviewing old trends and accounting for new ones; we wanted to create an updated design that fit with the new digital strategies of our clients, and showcased their evolution as well as ours. 

And while our Digital Directory served the needs of our customers and their users alike, it was time for a refresh. 

Introducing Mappedin's new Digital Directory  

With updates to the user interface and user experience, based on consolidated customer feedback, the new Digital Directory is an updated and innovative experience that allows venues to communicate information easily with their visitors. 

We put more emphasis on the customer brand, making it front and centre throughout the UI. The logo is now one of the biggest focal points on the start screen, and with the customizable font and colours, it allows for a branded experience that feels consistent with the rest of the property. 

But that’s not all. 

With the official launch of the new Digital Directory product, we’ve taken the capabilities to the next level. 

Categories and store listings 

Categories have been reorganized to a list view, rather than a grid. For ease-of-use, categories now appear in detail expansion menus. This allows users to see more at once with easier comparison. There are now child categories to filter down further, to help the user who doesn’t specifically know what they want, but does know what they are generally looking for. Store listings are also shown in one full list view, and organized alphabetically. 

Events and deals 

Now accessible from the home screen, events and deals allow users to categorize and filter the mall in a completely different way. Designed with additional information, Event cards showcase what is happening at the mall and can show date-locked events as well as events that are ongoing at a property. These cards can be filtered by store or category for easier exploration. 

The Deals tab has also been updated with this view, showcasing the dates that a promotion is occurring to encourage the user to visit that store ‘before time runs out’. Users can see a preview of each card prior to expanding, as well as a link to jump to the store in question.

Smart Search

As users type, predictive results appear which minimizes the number of keystrokes necessary. Smart search allows visitors to search by category, amenity, location, or brand, to see results for that venue. It uses machine learning to improve results over time based on patterns, such as spelling mistakes. The keyboard also has a search icon that serves as an ‘Enter’ button, as we found that users often want to confirm their search to move to the next step. 

Other new features include:

• Quick Access buttons: Placed under the search bar, the quick access buttons allow for browsing stores, categories, deals & events, and any locations that have been selected by clients. These are customizable depending on what that property wants to highlight.

• Accessibility mode: Updated to include more height adjustments for better access to all users, accessibility mode creates a path to your destination that utilizes alternative routing and appropriate distances.

• Animations: Animations have been added to the design to help users better orient where they are and where they need to go.

These are just a few of the changes in the relaunch of the Digital Directory. Interested in learning more? Visit our site or contact us for more information.