When starting a new mapping project, it's easy to get lost along the way. This presentation helps identify audiences, key contributors, and offers some tips and tricks.

1. Lost in a Map
Understanding the Direction of Your Campus Map
Nick Catto
@NickCatto
Nick@nucloud.com #TNT4

2. Nick Catto
Co-founder and CIO
nuCloud (nucloud.com)
Web Developer
University of South Carolina Upstate
Owner/Consultant/Janitor
MrCatto.com

3. Ask Yourself This…
• Why are you doing this to yourself?
• What are you trying to achieve?
• Who are your audiences?

4. Map Empathy
“How can you help someone get to where they’re going
without knowing where they’re coming from?”
-me

5. Get into Someone Else’s Shoes
• Prospective Student
• Current Student
• Alumni

6. Let Tell You a Story All About How
• My life got twisted upside down 

7. End User – Prospective Student
• Will Smith

8. Will’s Story
• Lives in Philadelphia (born and raised)
• Researching potential colleges
• Narrowed results down to a handful of schools
• Cannot visit each campus, must choose 2 or 3
finalists
• Cost of travel (single mother)

9. Research Includes
• College Website
• Social Media
• College journals? (US News and Reports)
• Family and Friends

10. College Website
• Branding
• News and Events
• Academic Information
• Pictures
• Maps

11. Driving Map

12. Interactive Map

13. Interactive Map

14. Interactive Map
• Used to attract interest to the campus
• Help families control visitation costs
• Drives the campus Visit

15. • USA Today advises students to take virtual
campus tours to control campus visitation
costs, which can easily top $3,000.
• http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/college/2008-08-13-control-costs-of-college-visits_N.htm

16. • “For students who can’t afford the trip, many
universities are trying to bridge that gap
electronically. Harvard College, Cornell
University, the University of Chicago and many
other top-tier universities offer virtual tours
on their Web sites.”
• http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/11/summer-visits/

17. Mapping for Prospective Students
• Media Rich
• Reflect the culture of campus
• Don’t go overboard with information
– Popular buildings, not every building

18. Beware too much information

19. Mapping for Prospective Students
• Measure interest using Google Analytics
• Add “Request Campus Visit” Form Link
• Include your map in Facebook and microsites

20. Congratulations
• Will enjoyed the environment of your campus
as shown through your campus map and
chose to visit the school

21. End User – Current Student
• Frodo Baggins

22. Frodo’s Story
• No university near the Shire
• Junior at an out-of-state college
• 100 Buildings on campus
• Spends most of his time in his major’s
buildings
• Needs to find the student store

24. So His Journey Begins
• Looks to Website for Map
• Finds visitor’s guide map and PDF maps

25. PDF Map
• Typical Facilities Map
• No visual landmarks
• No way of seeing current location

26. PDF Map

27. Rule Number 1
“Don't carry around a campus map ­ even though the
O'Colly provided you with an excellent map in our
last issue.- Instead, download Oklahoma State's
application on your smart phone. It will provide you
with an interactive map that will guide you around as
you wander through campus. If you don't have a
smart phone, then learn where your classes are
beforehand.”
http://www.ocolly.com/rules-of-freshman-survival-1.2550406#.Tn8-ftRYRc8

28. We’ve all been there: there is nothing quite as embarrassing or frustrating as
getting lost and having to ask someone for directions or stop and take out a map
when you’re new at school!

29. How Can We Help?
• By building a better map of course
• Way-finding Map (Google, Bing, etc…)
– Especially good for larger schools with
many roads
– Provides walking, transit, and driving
directions to buildings
– Built-in mobile functionality

30. Google Maps
http://www.google.com/mapmaker

31. Interactive Maps
• Design can be useful for directions while still
appealing
– Design elements should be unobtrusive
– Make sure important buildings are marked
– Building stops can provide images and addresses
– Mobile integration depending on vendor

33. Tips
• Mobile maps should be accessible from all
mobile platforms
• Design elements are unobtrusive
• Building pictures, videos, and descriptions
• Walking, transit, and driving directions
• Building codes, addresses

34. Congratulations!
• Frodo found the student store with help from your
mobile map.
Josten’s Return Center

35. End User – Campus Visitor
• Grandma

36. Grandma’s Story
• USC alumna
• Wealthy actress, very self-reliant
• Doesn’t “do computers”
• Advancement has asked for a gift
• Grandson is playing his first game
• Flying in from California to visit campus

37. Finding the Stadium
• She plans on finding parking and stadium by
using the USC map
• Must find it first
• http://www.sc.edu

38. Too Many Roadblocks
• Map link should be easily visible on homepage
• Operating the map should be intuitive
• Road names, addresses, and landmarks should
be visible

39. Grandma Gets Lost
• Heads to campus early
• Finds the wrong stadium
• Slips and falls on muddy field
• Has to ask for directions

42. No One Likes Asking for Directions
“Poor dirty grandma, look at what our web team has done to you… our
school’s campus map stinks, but here is the stadium on Google Maps.”

43. Visitor Map
A visitor map should do two things
1. Get the visitor to campus
2. Help them find their way around campus

44. Multifaceted Approach
• Interactive Map
• Google Maps
• Ability to Print Directions
• Mobile Friendly
• Way-finding and Signage

45. Mobile Maps
• 35 percent of the adult population in this
country owns a smartphone
• Make sure you have a mobile map
http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Smartphones/Summary.aspx

46. Congratulations!
• Your bad map just cost the school a potential
donation!

47. Tips and Tricks

48. Start a Committee
• Be a mean silo-crossing machine
• Consider other departments’ involvement
• Bring key players into the project

49. Start a Committee
• Keep members objective about map design
• Create a project timeline
• Allocate tasks to appropriate groups
• Assign single point of contact for outside
agencies

50. Determine Map Style
• 2D
– Usually least expensive
– Ability to incorporate into Google Maps
• 3D
– Highlight buildings, landmarks, and surroundings
– Provide visual markers for viewers, not just street
numbers
• Map Perspective

51. Map Design
• Vector
– Information above all, easily labeled
– Easy to make additions and changes
• Raster
– Offers more detail
– Many style options
• Hand-Rendered
– Usually time-consuming development
– More expensive
– Hard to make changes

52. Map Resources
• Pictures speak louder than words
• Use the best photography at your disposal
• Emulate campus experience
– Campus grounds
– Building exteriors and interiors
– Student Life

53. Map Resources
• Video has become an important component
of the online experience
• Students interested in videos about student
life
• Parents watch more content about academic
programs

54. • “Using real student members of a campus
community to serve as virtual tour guides is an
impressive, effective, and genuine approach to
recruitment.”
• http://www.nucloud.com/blog/5-more-design-ideas-interactive-virtual-campus-tour-stand-out/

55. Show Some Pride
• A beautiful map is a perfect wonderful framed gift for any
current or past student. Schools can include order forms for
their maps in their alumni gift donation packets.
• Thank you cards
• External communications
• Future planning

56. Test the Map
• Don’t set it and forget it

58. Test the Map
• Usability Testing
• Check regularly with facilities for updates
• Fine tune content based on analytic feedback

59. Thanks!
• Nick Catto
• nick@nucloud.com
• @nickcatto