Greyhound & CoachUSA Shortline Bus Station
Binghamton, NY
As we navigate through our lives, we can find
information in every place, guiding
and educating people on a massive variety of subjects. Some information is used for our everyday life, while other information is on an as needed basis. Whichever the case, we encounter new information all the time that our brains process and evaluate in an effort of engaging with the surrounding world. The information that we encounter can be very powerful, and create an influence over our decisions. Information design has become an area of study that is very important to understand, since information changes lives. From Jacobson, "We have learned well that the person who issues designed information is just as likely as its intended recipients to be changed by it, for better or worse." and "The fact that information design is so pervasive reminds us to be careful and deliberate in the way we apply the power inherent to this new process." (Jacobson 1999)
and educating people on a massive variety of subjects. Some information is used for our everyday life, while other information is on an as needed basis. Whichever the case, we encounter new information all the time that our brains process and evaluate in an effort of engaging with the surrounding world. The information that we encounter can be very powerful, and create an influence over our decisions. Information design has become an area of study that is very important to understand, since information changes lives. From Jacobson, "We have learned well that the person who issues designed information is just as likely as its intended recipients to be changed by it, for better or worse." and "The fact that information design is so pervasive reminds us to be careful and deliberate in the way we apply the power inherent to this new process." (Jacobson 1999)
With the
importance of information in mind, I chose to visit the Greyhound and CoachUSA
Shortline bus station in Binghamton, NY. Previous to this visit, I had not been
inside a bus station, so this was a whole new learning experience. I spent
quite a bit of time wandering around the station, watching people buy tickets,
and arrive and depart on buses. I took several photos while there showing
different signs, and displaying pertinent information.
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This photo shows the front of the bus station. I found it interesting that the designers of the building chose to incorporate the name into the architecture. For me, I find this to be an added appealing design of information. I am always drawn to creativity.
This sign stood in front of one of the ticket counters, and clearly shows travelers that they can buy tickets and obtain information at this counter for the CoachUSA Shortline bus trips.
The Greyhound ticket counter is OPEN for business with arrival and departure schedules clearly displayed on both sides of the window.
I had wanted a closer photo of the CoachUSA Shortline arrivals and departures schedule, but I visited at a very busy time, and many people did not seem to want to be in my photos. However, these schedules clearly depict which cities the buses travel to and at what times they will be traveling.
I found this sign attached to the front of one of the ticket counters. Although I do not know what a megabus reservation is, to those who do, this is important information. It was prominently displayed for those who need this information.
This sign hung above the doors leading to the bus terminals. It reminded of signs I have seen in the airport, and provides information to travelers as to where to go to find their correct bus.
With so many people spending several hours traveling between cities on the buses, the bus station had a counter to purchase food to take. This sign is straight forward in its purpose and design, and works effectively to convey the menu options.
Signs like these are often overlooked, but essential, not only for fire code, but also to inform people as to how to leave the building in an emergency. However, most people completely ignore these signs, but I can appreciate the work that goes into their design.
The last photo I took was looking through the gate at a bus sitting in the terminal. Each bus has their destination displayed on an electronic screen above the driver's seat. This information further ensures that each passenger is boarding the correct bus.
As I walked around the bus station gathering information and photos, I found that the process of traveling by bus is fairly simple. All of the signs were presented in an easy to read and understandable format, however I did notice that there was almost no graphics or images used to provide information. While it was very easy for me to learn the process of bus travel, I think the inclusion of images could benefit some who have a learning disability, are handicapped, or have English as their first language. The fact that this bus station provides trips throughout New York and New Jersey means that many different people with a variety of backgrounds may use this service at some point. It makes sense to provide a variety of ways to keep business, people, and buses moving along on schedule.
The bus station provided information that is essential to travel. It was informative and effective, but lacking creativity. I struggled to find the design elements, as discussed in the Information Design Workbook, of color, type styling, weight and scale, structure, grouping, sound and motion, graphic element, and imagery. At best, the CoachUSA Shortline arrivals and departures schedule included some weight and scale, structure, and grouping. The recurring theme I am finding with information out in public space is that it is designed to be very simple, just providing basic information in the easiest way. This can be beneficial, as some people just want the information, but I don't feel that this does anything for business itself. Information is essential to keep the world moving, and the design of that information is just as important, if not more, than the information itself. (Baer 2008)
Jacobson, Robert, ed. Information Design. MIT Press. Massachusetts. 1999. Print
Baer, Kim. Information Design Workbook. Rockport Publishers. Massachusetts. 2008. Print.
Great blog post! I enjoyed reading about the bus station. I actually have never been in a bus station either. After reading your post and looking at the pictures you took it seems as though it would be a very easy place to get around and perform the necessary tasks – such as purchasing tickets, finding the appropriate gate and boarding the correct bus. Sometimes simplistic design is best. I know that when I am in a place that I am not familiar with I am slightly stressed and nervous that I won’t be able to find my way. So having simple straightforward signs puts me more at ease and make getting around, focusing on my surroundings a little easier.
ReplyDeleteNice, informative post and well illustrated. I think your point about the emergency signs was important. In an emergency these signs can be the difference between life and death yet noone reads them. I think the guidelines for these signs need to be changed to make the impoerant information they convey more readily understandable in an emergency - which is the only time anyone will read them!
ReplyDeleteThe other point you make regarding the fact that the signs contain very few images or symbols. It seems like many travelers who are not fluent in English would be passing through the bus terminal. Other places have taken to using symbols or printing instructions in other languages. I was surprised that this was not the case here.
(Posted by Travis Raymond Kuhns)
ReplyDeleteThis was a very well organized and timely post! The graphic layout was uniform, and the brief captions succinct and yet relevant to the specific photo is was describing, often resulting in a mini-narrative on an information design principle being given (the implicit importance of understanding audience, for instance.)
One thing that stood out to me in the the numerous signs you presented is that there seems to be a great deal of incongruity between the size, style, and design. Do you feel this is intentional or a result of a lack of cohesiveness in these information design documents? On the one hand, we could argue that the divergent sign qualities for different types of services (warnings versus refreshment ads, versus ticket sale info) represents a visual segregation so that visitors do not think unrelated content is in fact related because of visual continuity.
On the other hand, did you find signs pertaining to the same needs that were similarly dis-similar? In other words, we might argue that a lack of visual similiarity in sign design for ticket sale information will confuse more than it will inform. Because the traveler will need to skim/scan *every* sign in order to determine its validity (as opposed to just following signs they've found, by virtue of visual continuity and scanning the terminal for others).
Overall you provided a great post that was cohesive, succinct, and flowed well. The brief lines of text interspersed between correlative images made for a fast, simple read that gave the information quickly to the reader without having to wade through a significant amount of perfunctory information. Your post, like the public place you based it upon, is geared toward the every person who is only looking for general information on the topic at hand. the design is minimalist without being impersonal, and the tone is informal without being unprofessional. You have struck a strategic balance well suited for your intended audience. Nice work.
(Posted by Travis Raymond Kuhns)
In response to your question as to whether I felt that the lack of cohesiveness amongst the signage was intentional, I feel that the design of the signs were not a major point for the people who have been designated to handle the signage in the bus station. The atmosphere within the station left an aura that everything had a purpose, and they all were there for a specific reason. The signs get the job done, but minimally. In a situation such as this, I suppose that is what is most important, but the overall design of information, while simplistic, felt scattered and lacking cohesion.
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