Wayfinding Consultancy by Sector

Wayfinding takes place in just about every type of environment and we are able to help with consultancy, including through an audit of your location.

The following are some of the most common locations we work within, BUT are not limited to:

Airports

Gatwick Airport

We have worked with the likes of Birmingham International Airport (UK) and Cardiff International Airport (UK), providing audits of the effectiveness or not of their existing wayfinding system (at the time).

Included in the reports were every aspect of the airport user experience (UX) including the website, getting to the airport, parking, terminals, and connectivity between different transportation types.

We can advise on most matters relating to airport wayfinding.

Airports are especially interesting, given the vast numbers of people who need to find their way, in a relatively speedy manner, whilst doing so safely and during times when emotions are often heightened because of the holiday mood (excitement) and also stress that comes from trying to get to and through an airport.

Outdoor Areas (Bay, Wilderness, Wetlands, and Lake Trails)

Swansea bay trail

One of our specialties is evaluating, consulting, and guiding the implementation of outdoor areas such as urban bay trails.

Universities

Cardiff University

Universities provide quite different challenges to airports. University buildings can often be spread out not only on one campus but in different locations across a city.

Universities are notoriously bad for trying to navigate through, given that so many universities to date, seem to neglect wayfinding as a necessary measure.

The need for good wayfinding though is changing and we can help if you need your university evaluated and for the consultation.

Care Homes

Care homes need special attention in terms of how the wayfinding is planned, given that users can include those suffering from issues such as dementia.

There is thus a need to ensure that the design is such that it is as stress-free as possible as an environment, for those who may easily become disorientated.

Such locations also need to be easy to navigate for guests and staff.

Sports Stadiums

Stadium navigation

Guiding large numbers of spectators need to be planned not only within the stadium itself but also from transport hubs, which act as the main points of entry to the area (such as train stations and coach stops).

Part of the work with wayfinding for stadiums does involve policing, but we offer consultancy on areas such as direction giving, disabilities access and guidance, and navigation planning for inside the stadium.

Hospitals

hospital gateway sign

Hospitals can be the most complex of all spaces to design wayfaring signage for, given that so many hospitals have complex irregular shapes and are used by so many users who are unfamiliar with the layout and who need to navigate the location often under stressful conditions.

Similar to universities, hospitals are often signed badly and this creates a number of problems:

  • A lot of lost staffing time is wasted and lost on directing people.
  • Appointments are sometimes missed or people are late because of getting lost.
  • Patients and family are already under stress and getting lost adds to this stress.

We can help to analyze your existing system, including through qualitative research, by analyzing the experiences of patients and staff.

Hotels

Whilst way-finding is simpler in many respects to some locations, getting lost in hotels is quite common, particularly in some of the larger hotels.

Having a simple-to-understand but clear and easy-to-use set of signs is important for a good UX experience.

Museums

museum

The route in museums and galleries often needs to follow a timeline or ideal route through the facility in order to provide a narrative along the route.

Furthermore, there is usually a need to guide people one way in order to keep the flow of people moving efficiently. We have analyzed the wayfaring system in various museums.