As a cubicle-dweller trapped in an office-building environment, I am subjected to a never-ending flow of visitors to my workspace. These people are in their own minds just "strangers in a strange land," trying to find their way. As a nod to their ignorance of the surroundings, we permanent residents have made countless efforts in hopes of getting our uninformed guests to their in-office destination without a full military escort: room directories mounted on the wall, poster-sized signs, large flipcharts on easels placed directly in their path, etc.
WHY THEN do so many people wander in here, oblivious to their surroundings, and make their way up to some poor worker just to ask "Where is the…"?????? The answer to their question can be found on more than one sign in most cases, signs that they in fact have specifically passed as they made the beeline for the worker. Yes, we do give them a kind word and a gentle shove in the direction they need to go. But WHY?
How do these people manage in their normal lives? The room-directory board (think little plastic letters on a black felt backing) is a common staple in most large buildings. Do these people walk into the hospital and just grab the first person that walks by, to ask "Where is Dr. Bob’s office?" (Of course there would have to be the inevitable follow-up question, "Where is the elevator?")
Or what about the Shopping Mall experience? That must be even more daunting for these idiots, since it combines both reading (finding the name of the store on the directory) and navigation (determining how to walk to the store once they find it). Then again, maybe perfect strangers won’t mind if you walk up to them and say "Can you tell me how to get to the Gap…and then Hallmark….and then the Food Court?"
Speaking of navigation, I shudder to think of these people trying to catch a flight or a train, get to their seats in a stadium, or register for college courses. Even better, what about the completely common tasks like figuring out what lane to get in when you approach a tollbooth, finding the cereal in a grocery store, or getting your Driver’s License renewed. AH BUT WAIT…these must be the very same people that cause the same problems in all those places!!
I have been in many unknown places and situations, yet it has never occurred to me to immediately try to ease my pain by wasting the time of an otherwise productive, normal person. My first effort is toward self-help, deductive reasoning, maybe guessing: it’s all served me pretty well for the most part. Yes, I have asked for directions, and instructions; but I can at least say I was never told "It’s written on the sign right behind you."
Look around, people. There’s a whole world going on right outside your head.