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Some general—but frequently overlooked—principles of wayfinding are examined in three recent articles.
How do people navigate in natural environments?
Several researchers provide information about wayfinding in distinct settings and the general efficacy of maps and GPS in route finding.
Shopping malls continue to be an interesting venue for wayfinding research. The conclusions, though, can be applied in a wide variety of pedestrian applications.
Familiar routes through urban space seem to have longer apparent distances.
Researchers testing hand-held interactive guides that use landmarks as navigational cues discovered that these devices can help both younger and older adults move through a space, but were particularly useful for older adults.
When presented with a turning decision, people tend to turn toward their dominant hand, and turn in ways consistent with the car-driving regulations of their homeland.
Inner Navigation, by Erik Jonsson, helps readers understand why humans get lost, and what you, as a designer, can do to make the spaces you create easier to navigate.