Materials for the information kiosks include 6061 aluminum tube and plate construction finished in high-grade exterior grade paint in a bronze color, fluorescent lamps for internal lighting of the map cases and LED lights.

Naperville, Illinois (pop. 141,857) is a western suburb of Chicago located in DuPage and Will counties. Naperville was voted second-best city to live in the U.S. by Money magazine in 2006, and in 2010, named the wealthiest city in the Midwest. A predominantly rural community for most of its existence, Naperville experienced a population explosion starting in the 1960s, but largely during the 1980s and 1990s, following the construction of the East-West Rollway (now known as the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway), and Interstate 355 (originally known as the North-South Tollway, now the Veterans Memorial Tollway). In the past two decades, it has nearly quadrupled in size as Chicagoland's urban sprawl brought corporations, jobs and wealth to the area.

In the mid-1970s, the city fathers decided to make all parking in downtown Naperville free, an incentive to keep the downtown "alive" in the face of competition with nearby Fox Valley Mall in Aurora, and the subsequent sprawl of strip shopping malls. Parking meters were taken down, and garage parking built in the 1980s and 1990s became free. Parking is also available on major thoroughfares during non-peak hours.

Improvements to the streetscape and pedestrian zones in downtown Naperville were done prior to the wayfinding signs, along with parking lot improvements and the construction of several parking decks.

The city desired several wayfinding kiosks with downtown and riverwalk business and recreation maps. The kiosks were strategically located close to pedestrian walks, public parking lots and ramps. Two styles of kiosks were designed. The taller kiosks with the arched roofs were located in more open areas; the shorter versions were used where space was limited. In addition, one was designed to be wall mounted.