Background

The Northern Territory Department of Transport (DOT) is the authority responsible for planning road signage throughout the NT. They commissioned this project because of ongoing concerns from the community and tourism business operators about the need to improve signage throughout the Adelaide River, Batchelor and Litchfield areas. The existing signage is a chaotic and ad hoc mess, which does little to enhance the image of the area. Plus, does not help visitors locate facilities and attractions and enjoy the experience of the place.

Wayfound was selected to complete the signage study and make recommendations to improve the road and tourism related signage in the area.

Solution

The project required Wayfound to consult with key stakeholders and report to a Steering Group of stakeholders including local government, Tourism NT and the local tourism group. We completed a detailed audit of all existing signs, assessing each sign for its functionality, condition, connectivity and visibility. All of this information was recorded on an online interactive database (information included photos on-site, new sign message and type, GPS location and our recommendation). The Steering Group members were able to access and view all of the data and comment online about each sign, the routes and wider implications for the region. The data integrated with Google Maps so it is easy to view and understand.

We identified key routes and mapped all signage required on these routes. We identified changes/improvements required, new signs, all of the messaging, provided detailed schematics for all signs, sourced cost estimates and defined priority requirements. All of our recommendations and designs were informed by the national signage guidelines.

Outcome

This project provides clear guidelines that enable the DOT to adopt a standard and strategic approach to visitor signage throughout the Northern Territory. We received outstanding feedback on the presentation of all of the signage data and maps.