Chapter+2+Legibility

Instructions: 1. Provide your names below. 2. Answer the questions. 3. Delete these instructions.

Names: Sean, Matt, Spencer


 * On pages 22-24, Morville identifies several tools to aid in nautical navigation. Describe, in general terms, how each of these devices works. What kind of information does each of these devices provide?
 * Lighthouse- Serves as a reference point so that sailors know where the shore is. Can also help guide the sailors with direction and to find shore. This device emits light so it can be seen from a distance.
 * Compass- Tells you which way you are facing. This device uses a magnet to detect the poles on the Earth.
 * Chip Log- This device gets thrown overboard and they see many knots are pulled out of the rope in 30 seconds. This device was an early predecessor to the modern day speedometer used in automobiles and boats.
 * Sextant- This device is used to measure the angle of the sky (north/south) using a horizontal line of reference. This device is an early predecessor to the modern day GPS when used in conjuction with the Chronometer.
 * Chronometer- This device is used to find the sailors longitude. It works by checking the suns movements at 2 points, and by every 15 degree difference, the time moves ahead 1 hour and as a result, they can calculate the longitude they are currently at.


 * What role do maps play in wayfinding?
 * Maps play the role of showing you all the possible ways to go using major landmarks. It allows us to explore further without getting lost.
 * Maps also help you to locate yourself within the larger context and is a way of transmitting information about where we are in the way of the land.


 * Describe the concept of "environmental legibility". Describe an environment that has high "environmental legibility" and one that has low legibility. These should be actual places, not a description of the characteristics of the place.
 * The concept of environmental legibility is using physical structures and organization to better orient the person with recognizable patterns. An environment with high EL is a city like Boston because it has many points of reference including stations, buildings, maps, signs, etc. An environment with low EL would be an area that does not have a lot of directional information and reference points such as Providence or the Amazon Rainforest because there are no signs and not a lot of reference points and everything looks the same.


 * What are the foundation elements of wayfinding and why are each important (pg 27)? What information does each element provide that helps in wayfinding?
 * Paths
 * You follow a path and you will have a way of getting back out.
 * Edges
 * Barriers that separate regions.
 * Districts
 * Major sections that have characters that differentiate them from other sections of a town or city.
 * Nodes
 * Foundation elements and are the intersections. How people navigate. Paths, edges, districts.
 * Landmarks
 * Buildings and monuments that stick out and are easy to distinguish.


 * Describe how Boston and New York differ with respect to legibility.
 * New York is laid out on a grid and if you take 3 lefts, you end up back where you started. Also, in Boston, there is really no grid and if you miss a turn, then you have to go for miles and go to the next one. In New York, every few hundred feet is another corner so if you miss a turn, it is no big deal.