Progress Report on Mall Directory Spin

PROGRESS REPORT: Mall directory navigation session Target: food court, third floor Current position: east entrance, ground floor Time started: 3:14pm Time resolved: 3:18pm

The Map

The map shows the mall from above, oriented with north at the top. The mall's standard orientation at the point of reference was designed with north as the main entrance direction. North at the top makes sense as a design decision.

The Problem

The person is standing at the east entrance, facing west (inward from the east). This means:

• The map's "top" is to their right.
• The map's "left" is to their actual back.
• The target (food court) appearing to the left on the map is behind them on the map's terms and ahead of them in the mall.

The Reconciliation Attempts

3:14pm: Map read at standard orientation. Food court identified to the left. Began walking left. Arrived at west wall.

3:15pm: Returned to map. Reconsidered orientation. Map rotated 90 degrees. Now the "You Are Here" dot was approximately correct for the visual. The food court was above the dot in this rotation, meaning forward.

3:16pm: Walked forward from east entrance. Passed escalators.

3:17pm: Escalators confirmed on map. Map orientation confirmed.

3:18pm: Arrived at third floor, food court found.

The Pattern

Mall directories are designed for use by people facing the map's primary orientation (north). People approaching from other directions require a rotation step. The rotation step is performed correctly by approximately three of four attempts. The fourth attempt walks toward the west wall.

Target found. Journey time from directory to destination: 4 minutes.