Wayfinding: A simple concept, a complex process

Abstract

Wayfinding is the process of finding your way to a destination in a familiar or unfamiliar setting using any cues given by the environment. Due to its ubiquity in everyday life, wayfinding appears on the surface to be a simply characterized and understood process; however, this very ubiquity and the resulting need to refine and optimize wayfinding has led to a great number of studies that have revealed that it is in fact a deeply complex exercise. In this article, we examine the motivations for investigating wayfinding, with particular attention being paid to the unique challenges faced in transportation hubs, and discuss the associated principles and factors involved as they have been perceived from different research perspectives. We also review the approaches used to date in the modelling of wayfinding in various contexts. We attempt to draw together the different perspectives applied to wayfinding and postulate the importance of wayfinding and the need to understand this seemingly simple, but concurrently complex, process.

An Airport Experience Framework from a Tourism Perspective

“…These topics are, for instance, the servicescape model by Bitner (1992;see Jeon & Kim, 2012), service quality (Bogicevic, Yang, Bilgihan, & Bujisic, 2013;Fodness & Murray, 2007), service encounter (Rowley & Slack, 1999), and airport retail (Omar & Kent, 2001;Rowley & Slack, 1999). Some topics are specific to airport terminals and seek to improve objective measurements or the current conditions to enhance passenger satisfaction, for instance the level of service (LOS; Correia, Wirasinghe, & de Barros, 2008a, 2008b and wayfinding (Farr, Kleinschmidt, Yarlagadda, & Mengersen, 2012). Other research has been conducted related to the use of space and human behaviour, such as the study of dwell-time and airport space (Lloyd, 2003) or the role of space and experience (Wright, 2011).…”

A tool for signage placement recommendation in hospitals based on wayfinding metrics

“…4 In healthcare environments, wayfinding is typically resolute or emergency, whereby patients or visitors are aiming to reach their destination as quickly as possible, either for an appointment, visiting a patient in a ward, or finding the Emergency Department. Hospitals can be difficult places to navigate with a lack of visual cues provided by the built environment available, 5,8 however, environmental clues can be added in the form of architectural differentiation, maps, or signage.…”

“…They also need to be easy to understand while the patient is resolutely moving to their destination. 5,7,8,[19][20][21][22] However, arguments have been made against signage, suggesting that it should be used sparingly as a last resort to aid wayfinding and containing only the necessary information required to aid the traveller.…”

“…14,15 Signs and maps are commonly used to aid navigation, though maps are considered to be less effective compared with signage. 4,8,[16][17][18] Maps can be misinterpreted and can cause further disorientation, rather than aiding the traveller in working out a route to follow. In particular, 'You Are Here' (YAH) maps can prove the most difficult to understand depending on their orientation.…”

“…28 Designers will typically mark up the spatial design with where signage should be placed borne from their experience in signage consultancy or identifying decision points (critical locations for signage) along pathways between the arrival and departure points of the space. 7,8,28 Thus, it was the aim of this research to develop a tool that could be used by architects and engineers, especially those working on healthcare designs, to inform and recommend effective signage placement strategies based on available knowledge of how humans navigate spaces. This approach has also added further analysis of signage placement, beyond placement at decision points, to include areas where travellers' natural wayfinding may deviate from the necessary path.…”