I surveyed volunteers and members at We Luv Video to understand how they navigate the store’s signage and layout. Results showed that inconsistent or missing signage often makes it hard to locate films—especially when shelved by director or staff picks rather than by genre—and many newcomers don’t realize the store is membership-based and offers rentals.

We Luv Video is a membership-based, volunteer-run nonprofit in Austin, Texas. It focuses on preserving and promoting appreciation for film and physical media. It is a revival of the beloved Austin video store I Luv Video, which closed during the pandemic after nearly 40 years of business. 

I Luv Video closed in 2020

We Luv Video opened in 2023, in a part of Austin that remains untouched by the development boom of the last 6+ years. It is a haven for all lovers of film, from auteur aficionados to cult-film junkies, and for anyone nostalgic for video-store culture. 

I volunteer at We Luv Video as a clerk. Clerks are responsible for helping members find movies and shelving returns. However, even as a clerk, I get lost navigating the store. 

The store contains 120,000 titles and continues to grow. Some of those titles include the old I Luv Video collection, part of which remains in storage. Titles are added to the collection every day, and the inventory team continues to iterate upon the organization and layout of the store. Signage primarily exists as hand-drawn signs to accommodate the constantly evolving setup. 

Since the store is completely volunteer-run, it is very much a work in progress. We are always looking for ways to improve, and as someone who studies and practices UX design, I couldn’t help but wonder how everyone else navigates We Luv Video. 

• What do volunteers think about the signage and wayfinding?
  
• What do members think of the signage and wayfinding?
  
• How do volunteers update signage?
  
• How do volunteers help members locate desired items, sections, and/or store features?
  

I created two separate surveys for volunteers and members. The volunteer survey focused on the challenges clerks face when assisting members and frequently asked questions, while the member survey was concerned with solo navigation. In both, I asked how each party would describe the atmosphere or identity of We Luv Video. The member survey was promoted in-store via a QR code and on We Luv Video’s Instagram account. 

1. Discover how members and volunteers engage with We Luv Video's signage
   
2. Learn what works and what doesn't regarding our signage
   
3. Create a cohesive brand identity

Of the 23 participants, the majority had joined within six months of when the survey was conducted. Most members visit the store between twice a month and once a week. Additionally, many members are interested in discovering movies new to them through staff recommendations and by exploring the store.

After two weeks online, I compiled all the qualitative data onto a digital whiteboard (Figjam) for affinity mapping. This is where I organized the data into clusters, then themes, and then more specific subthemes to highlight the main insights.

Although 15 of the 23 participants reported no to moderate difficulty navigating the store, the qualitative data suggested otherwise. There were 33 key feedback notes (from volunteers and members) regarding location, designation signage, and discovery.

Blue = volunteers; orange = members

1. Current signage cannot be relied upon to assist in navigation.
2. Volunteers and members are not always confident when locating desired titles.
3. Members appreciate the opportunity and hope to discover something new for themselves.
4. Newcomers to WLV often don't realize that titles are for rent only, and explaining our operations requires some effort.

How do we improve the reliability of our signage?

The walls and the tops of the shelves are adorned with film memorabilia, including posters, laser discs, and a life-size figure of Michael Myers that lounges in the center of the store. Thus, the signage must stand out from the visual noise while maintaining the overall character of the space.

How do we create effective signage without interfering with WLV’s current aesthetics?

Signage Hierarchy
Main genre signage should hang from the ceiling, with a letter height of at least 3 inches, and be visible from the front of the store. The general rule for letter height is that every 1 inch of height should provide 10 feet of readability. To help the signs stand out in the store, I tried to color-code them. However, assigning 15 genres their own color is challenging, as there are only 8 to 10 distinctive color options.

I moved to an iconography route, but then thought allowing volunteers to include an image from their favorite film, representative of that genre, could be fun and consistent with the atmosphere.

The smaller sub-genre signage used in international and documentary-by-topic designations should be 1 inch tall. Currently, they are ½ inch. It would be fun to keep them handmade, similarly to the staff picks, but with an emphasis on lettering and color contrast. 

How the subgenre signs are not meeting letter-height standards according to this letter-visibility chart from thevisualpro.com.

How do we make locating titles more efficient?

Film nerds love to talk about their favorite directors and movies, and We Luv Video is no different. The store has a large section of shelves organized by renowned directors. There’s also a section for the staff’s favorite films. These movies cannot be found anywhere else in the store. One of the most common pieces of feedback involves searching for a title in its expected genre, only to learn it’s displayed on the directors' wall or among the staff picks.

Directions to the Directors
Each section of shelves should list popular titles expected in its alphabetical proximity, but are actually shelved under their directors or staff picks. For example, "Looking for Who Framed Roger Rabbit? See Zemeckis on the Director’s Wall.”

Since the staff picks and themed shelves are frequently updated, we can use a similar tactic but leave enough blank space for shift leads to write the movie title and their name in a dry-erase marker. These signs can be smaller and displayed from underneath the exact, would-be location of the staff pick. 

All of this smaller signage should include QR codes linking to the collection on the WLV website, so that members and volunteers can quickly and independently locate titles.

How do we improve upon and foster discovery through browsing? 

I Luv Video staff would tape fun reviews onto the movie cases. They helped shape the I Luv Video identity and can still be found today at We Luv Video. I think we should continue the tradition by adding our own.

Two in one: How do we make it more obvious that WLV is a rental store, AND how can signage help volunteers explain membership to newcomers? 

There are several instances of people, excited by the assortment of movies, asking, “What is this place?” While the volunteers love to talk about We Luv Video and how it operates, the spiel can be a little long, and after MANY deliveries during a shift, it can be tiring. 

This is the only signage that communicates what We Luv Video is and how it works.

Signage that briefly explains the rental operation, the price of the first-tier membership, and a QR code to sign up should be placed in strategic spots throughout the store.  

How do we make the front door more intuitive to use?

At one point, everyone has experienced some confusion when opening the front door at We Luv. There are two doors with flat metal rectangles to push on. However, one has an after-hours movie drop-off slot just above its rectangle that never opens, and the other has a ring above its rectangle that helps the door fully close for lock-up at night. The drop-off slot and ring, both crucial to the business, offer non-functional affordances that completely negate the metal rectangles' purpose. Some people think the doors are locked; some take a moment to read the multiple signs that say “PUSH”; and all of them feel embarrassed after figuring it out. 

The ring and the return slot still throw me off when I approach the door.

This problem is straight from Don Norman’s The Design of Everyday Things. This isn’t a signage problem, but a mental model problem. Everyone knows how a door works, so no one bothers to read signs explaining the contradictory affordances. 

The ring should move to the top and/or bottom of the door so that management can still quickly lock up at night. The vertical drop-off door slot should be horizontal in the middle of the door, away from the flat rectangle.

We Luv Video has a hidden treasure, DIY aesthetic that the volunteers and members have come to love. It holds a special place in so many people's hearts – a portal to an era thought long gone. Walking through the collection of physical media is an uplifting experience that is worth the membership fees and volunteer time. Solving these issues without corrupting We Luv’s ethos is paramount.