Exploring an Absent Presence: Wayfinding as an Embodied Sociocultural Experience

Abstract

Wayfinding has often been seen as being about the quickest or shortest possible route between two points ( Hölscher et al 2011;Tam 2011;Haque et al 2006). Moreover, this process has very often been seen as a cognitive one, with the experiential nature of wayfinding and with the embodied, emotional and sociocultural aspects of this experience conspicuously absent. We argue that wayfinding is rarely a purely cognitive process that involves an individual person, who is entirely instrumental in navigating a direct and precise route, but instead that this is a process almost always directed according to embodied and sociocultural needs. We propose a reassessment of present wayfinding definitions and suggest an alternative understanding that includes sociocultural elements, embodied individuals and experience through their embodied senses, as crucial elements of the concept. Seeing wayfinding from this different sociocultural ontological viewpoint, opens up new ways of understanding and planning wayfinding systems.

Study of Effective Corridor Design to Improve Wayfinding in Underground Malls

“…This is because people may feel completely different in underground environments than in aboveground or outdoors ( Ringstad, 1994 ; Lee et al, 2017 ). Moreover, human strategies in everyday wayfinding are believed to be different from emergency escape ( Symonds et al, 2017 ). In particular, during emergencies, such as power outages or fires, pathfinders tend to rely more on human information (e.g., following crowds) and environmental (e.g., emergency signs, lights, and maps) than spatial information (including space size, form, and layout; Golledge, 1999 ; Arthur and Passini, 2002 ; Symonds et al, 2017 ).…”

The Role of Captivation and Sensation in Pleasurable Experience to Enhance Wayfinding Process

“…Several prior studies have examined wayfinding in detail, and they mainly inquire into the ways to improve the ability of wayfinding through various methods: color 6) , lighting 7) , sound 8) , interior 9,10) , smell 11) , travel mode 12) , equipment 13) , building layout 14) , and providing auditory information 15) . As for the subject of pleasurable experience, there have been only discussions about its applicability in interactive design 16) , and retail 17) , its changes in urban environment 18) , and its correlation with sociocultural aspects 19) . In other words, none of these discussions have tried to explore how pleasurable experience has possibilities in accommodating wayfinding in public spaces.…”

“Are we losing our way?” Navigational aids, socio‐sensory way‐finding and the spatial awareness of young adults

“…We situate our enquiry in relation to contemporary debates around both opportunities and challenges presented by GNSS and locative media (e.g., Farrelly, ), particularly in relation to the role of senses and socialities in generating embodied way‐finding skills (Symonds et al., ). Taking concerns about the impact of GNSS on human way‐finding ability as our starting point, we explore how GNSS shapes users’ interaction with their surroundings.…”