Color-Coded Wayfinding System Enables Easier Navigation for Patrons on Stafford Government Campus

2022 NACo Achievement Award Winner

Stafford County, Va., VA

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About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

Patrons visiting the Stafford County Government campus are confronted with multiple buildings housing more than 20 departments, courts and public safety offices. Before COVID, most visitors stopped by the volunteer desk in the lobby or the Citizens Assistance Office to ask for directions. Typically, a few destinations were the most requested, like the courts and the Treasurer's Office. During COVID, it became more urgent to facilitate visitors directly to their destination and limit interaction with staff and volunteers. Stafford's Office of Community Engagement and the Citizen's Assistance Office worked together to devise a series of color-coded signs, both on the walls and the floors, to better direct visitors. The color-coded signs were tied to two large "You Are Here" maps, like the interpretive signs you see at parks, near the entrance to the Government Center and the courts. The signs were super successful, reducing the numbers of lost patrons and helping them arrive on time to appointments, especially to court. The system was fairly inexpensive to design and would be easy to replicate. Most importantly, it had a big impact on assisting visitors.

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