Since the demolition of the original Penn Station in 1963, and the subsequent construction of Madison Square Garden on its site at street level, this major New York City transportation hub has been much maligned in the public eye. Connecting four critical modes of transportation: New York City Transit, Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, and Long Island Railroad in a dark, crowded, and confusing space, it was compounded by different operating agencies maintaining different wayfinding systems.
The low ceiling heights, limited sight lines, and wall-mounted signage compounded customers’ sense of being lost by limiting the user’s visual field, constricting the time needed to make decisions, and reducing the sense of the scale of the space. With over 600,000 people traversing Penn Station daily and the lack of visible signage and information, the pressure of navigating a congested and confusing space was difficult and frustrating. The complexity of the station architecture included several routes to the same destinations, all of which were signed. The results were information overload, with some signs pointing in opposite directions for a single destination.
Via Collective’s approach to improved wayfinding was centered on improving the customer experience. The new entrance at 33rd Street and 7th Avenue provides a distinct landmark and direct access to LIRR, and the concourse improvements expanded the circulation area, increased ceiling heights, and allowed for signs to be placed in the path of travel. All of these aspects create visibility from a comfortable distance, improving readability, a sense of spatial awareness within the station, and plenty of time for decision-making along the path of travel. Additionally, we dispersed digital signage of real-time train information to reduce crowding around the departure boards and in smaller corridor spaces.
THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Via Collective championed to all stakeholders that increasing the satisfaction of the customers’ experience of Penn Station was the guiding principle of the wayfinding program. This is especially essential with the myriad of users: local and international, frequent and infrequent, pass through on a daily basis.
We collaborated with all transit agencies in the station, including representatives of the newly opened Moynihan Train Hall, which provides access to Amtrak and LIRR, and the Penn Station Master Plan, which included Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, Long Island Rail Road and New York City Transit. Working together we contributed to a harmonized set of messages and iconography that could be applied across both station complexes; Penn Station and Moynihan Train Hall. In the same spirit, we aligned our graphic layouts with systems already in place for Long Island Rail Road users at Moynihan Train Hall, using consistent color and typography, adapting the sign structure and scale to the unique architectural conditions of the Long Island Rail Road Concourse.
THE STRATEGY
We analyzed the key gateways and destinations, understanding the most direct routes and applying the principle of progressive disclosure to the messaging system to clarify and minimize signage and focus on key decision points for clarity of decision making. The system was designed primarily for infrequent users, those who need specific guidance, or don’t have their established way of navigating as these are the groups that are least familiar with the space and it’s nuances. With this in mind, we signed the most direct route to a destination, even if it was not the shortest, which helps new users establish a clear mental map of where they are in the complex.
Sign placement perpendicular to the path of travel was critical to increasing visibility of information, readability, sense of direction, and increased the overall ease of navigation. This allowed customers to navigate without breaking their stride or searching for signage around them. Illuminated signs provide for maximum visibility and dispersed real-time train information throughout the station to avoided overcrowding at one key location, which was previously the case and caused mass congestion and frustration to get to trains once the platform number was called.
Finally, we championed and implemented the use of the green “running man,” the international symbol for emergency egress which is adopted in most countries except the United States. As Penn Station connects to both Newark International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport, there are many user groups who are not familiar with the red EXIT sign prevalent in the United States.
THE RESULT
These wayfinding solutions have dramatically improved the customer experience at Penn Station, many of which come directly from the public on social media platforms. We feel honored to have contributed to the public realm in this way, hopefully making people’s day just a little bit easier.