[mncharity]

"Which way do I go?" orientation signage in the Boston subway system has been less than wonderful. A lot of "the obvious thing needed here is ..." not happening. Places you could stand to help confused and grateful tourists. So tempting to do a self-adhesive-vinyl signage project. And then the DNC did.

When the Democratic National Convention came to Boston (2004), the subway got a lot of nice "which way do I go? what are these stairs? if not these, then where?" temporary orientation signage. It lingered afterward, with some becoming permanent signage, and others puzzlingly not. Such an event involves massive interdepartmental communication, tight timelines, altered incentives and constraints, and additional resources. Some of the altered communication channels are said to have persisted. I might be interesting to look at events where things are "shaken up", to better understand the steady-state tangle.