Ease Wayfinding

Strano and his colleagues report on “the empirical analysis of a unique data set regarding almost 200 years of evolution of the road network in a large area located north of Milan (Italy).” 

Researchers are developing a much better understanding of how people navigate through space and how wayfinding aids can be enhanced.

Need to help people find their way through a maze of corridors? 

Murphy, the CEO of GNU, a wayfinding consulting firm, has written a very readable overview of important wayfinding concepts, that is available free at the website noted below.

Women generally seem to have poorer spatial skills (e.g., map reading) than men, and Estes and Felker set out to learn more about why. 

Recent research with mice may have implications for the design of directional signage systems used by humans.

Autistic school-age children have been found to be good at visual searchers in small-scale settings such as on a computer screen, and Pellicano and her associates tested whether these skills extended to more true-to-life settings. 

Further research reinforces the importance of lines of sight and layout when considering how people find their way in a building.

Researchers affiliated with the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council have investigated how older people experience streetscapes. 

What sort of architectural elements are most likely to be present in buildings where people get lost most frequently?