For this assignment, I stood at the Crossroads and asked 5 people to give me directions to the library with either a hand drawn map or written list of instructions. After receiving the instructions or map, I then attempted to get to the library only using those instructions. I found that the maps were incredibly easier to follow than the written instructions. In fact, while I made it to the library every time by following the maps, I got lost every single time following the handwritten instructions.
One of the problem with the handwritten instructions, is that they required knowledge about the names of different buildings on campus which I wouldn't necessarily know if I was someone new on campus looking for directions. While the maps used building names as well, you could use relative positioning of the buildings to figure out which ones they were. Another problem I noticed with handwritten instructions is that people's memory of how things look don't necessarily match up with reality. For example, one person told me to follow a path until the ground changed color, remembering that the path in front of the library is a different color than the rest of the path. What they didn't remember is that the path actually changes color four different times before the library.
In conclusion, if someone asks me for directions in the future I will definitely make them a map!
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