Last Updated on October 14, 2023

New to wayfinding and wondering what on earth this word means? Below are some wayfinding examples and some common questions answered.

What is Wayfinding

Catania airport wayfinding signs
Signage in Catania airport in Sicily

The most obvious question or at least one of the most common I get asked is quite simple, what is wayfinding?

The term wayfinding is sometimes not known because it is not the term many people use to describe the activities which we in the industry call ‘wayfinding’.

Many people not familiar with the term ‘wayfinding’ might use terms including navigating, route planning, direction finding, and so on.

The term wayfinding is unique in its own right though, in that it incorporates mobility, navigation, planning, and many other areas under one umbrella.

In short, wayfinding is the overall process involved with getting from one place to another, even if the destination ends up being back at the starting point.

You can classify the term as being about ‘finding one’s way’ and the term can be used also to include the liminal process of movement through time and space.

Where can I find some Case Studies and Wayfinding Examples

  • You can go to the main case study examples here.
  • One example is the Newport Wetlands.

What about Digital Wayfinding?

Wayfinding traditionally has, for the most part, involved the use of static signage, in addition to the use of space and other factors, rather than the increasing use now of digital signage.

A key benefit of digital signage is the ability to update the information shown in real-time, something which would be impossible with static and permanent signs.

There is a downside also though in that power cuts can deem digital signage irrelevant and unusable (it does happen) and now there is also the increasing issue of a new breed of users who walk looking towards the ground, staring at their phones, and turn the art of wayfinding into one which is in danger of making us anti-social and causes us to miss much of what is around us.

Technology is very exciting and dynamic and self-defeating and anti-social all in one. Love it or hate it, digital technologies will be an important part of the future of wayfinding, but they will never ever replace static signage though. Expect a combination of the two always to exist.

Is Wayfinding the Same in Different Countries?

There are a lot of commonalities worldwide but an equal number of differences also.

This in part is why the subject area, for me at least, is such as fascinating one.

The way in which space is used in design can be similar in different locations around the world, whilst a number of icons used in signage are recognized worldwide. Icons and symbols which, for example, represent parking (a white letter ‘P’ on a blue background) and toilets are generally the same in many places (with a black woman and black man on a white background).

Navigation icons

Wayfinding, by its very nature, takes place in every country worldwide.

Whether the ability to get between places is easy because of a well-created and implemented wayfinding strategy, or whether it is a country with little infrastructure and poorly organized.

In addition to the need to help local people to navigate and to have a positive experience in the process, there is a need for many places to work effectively for visitors from a number of countries.

Locations which, for example, rely on tourists be it a tourist resort (i.e. Benidorm), set of islands (the Maldives or Seychelles), a major city (Paris, NYC), or a country which is an attraction in its own right (such as Malta or the Vatican), there tends to be a need to make the system work for people who speak a variety of languages. Icons are a great way to overcome language barriers and solve many potential problems.

Similarly, the use of landmarks is very powerful because they bypass and overcome any language and cultural barriers.

Being able to see a large tower, which acts as a focal point to find the centre of a cruise ship, city centre or attraction, and which can be seen from many viewpoints, is useful.

The subject of wayfinding and culture is extensive and I will shortly write a much more detailed post on this.

Signage design course

Who Wayfinds?

Wayfinding is something that we all do and on a daily basis. Even a simple drive to the shops, on a route which we are very familiar with, can involve decision-making on the route because we live in a real-world, socio-cultural environment.

We have to wayfind around other people, around obstacles such as the vehicles of other, on detours because of an accident and so on. Getting from a to b almost always invariably involves decision-making and an experience.

The more familiar we are with the route the more relaxed we may be.

On holiday, we may have to navigate to the airport, through the airport, to the resort, and learn our way around the resort.

By the end of the holiday, you might be familiar with the resort or local town and find getting around easier, although feelings of being bored because there is no challenge in the wayfinding, can be experienced.

We all wayfind and this, as you are beginning to see, is a complex and fascinating subject area.

How Can I Improve My Wayfinding System?

Whether you are managing the grounds of a university or hospital (in charge of Estates), working for an airport and allocated the wayfinding role, or in charge of your own location and looking to solve some simple issues that users are having in finding you, getting started can be overwhelming and confusing. There are though a number of ways you can easily get started.

The easiest way is to get an independent wayfinding audit which reviews your present location and which gives you a focus for understanding the issues. You can also take a look at manuals we have created and which are available.

If you are looking to get started, the first real thing to consider is what are the most problematic areas, what budget do you realistically have available and what other resources do you have.

More often than not, it is a case of working with a limited budget and thus a case of tackling the biggest problem area with your location.

One of the most valuable resources you have in this respect is your own staff. Front-line staff, who deal day in day out with the customers and users of your space, will hear of many problems coming up time and time again.

“I couldn’t find the building because the postcode was wrong” is a common issue and one which can be actioned, with an update to the PAF files held by the post office (I’ll be adding a post on PAF’s shortly).

Who Is Wayfinding for?

The obvious answer to this question is to say that any system which is implemented is done so for the users ie. the travellers through an airport, commuters who navigate the city each day, regular users and visitors to a university and so on.

This idea though is not quite true in that the need for good wayfinding design is as much for the benefit of business owners as it is for the users themselves.

Providing a great user experience for users and customers ultimately benefits the business or location in question.

A tourist attraction that also wants to focus on sales and make its location commercially viable needs to embrace wayfinding for a number of reasons. Two of these reasons are as follows:

  • i) A user who is relaxed has been proven to spend more.
  • ii) Using steering behaviour to guide users to locations in which they can spend is achieved through having an efficient and well-planned wayfinding system. From a commercial point of view, one of the best ways to monetise your location is through repeat business, through repeat visitors. Focusing on the user experience by having people to navigate not necessarily quickly, but in a way that allows them to see the experience as a positive one, is a smart strategy. To answer the initial question, having explained some of the variables involved, wayfinding is for everyone – for the users, but also for all stakeholders who stand to benefit from the experience of the users,