Wayfinding is a user experience, a process, a plan, and a system

Wayfinding as a user experience - Wayfinding historically refers to the user experience of orientation and choosing a path, self-navigating through the user’s surroundings from point to point along a predetermined route. The self-navigation process relies on personal history, architectural elements, website /digital displays, signage, maps, and other communicative tools – clues inherent in the built and natural environment’s special grammar.

Wayfinding as a process - Wayfinding as a process generates a design solution, providing aids to the intuitive and deductive navigational process. These aids become clues to enhance the built and natural space; they can be as basic as dead reckoning, or they can integrate complex technology, such as touch screen computers and global positioning devices. Tools often include digital/printed maps/user guides, audible communication/written directions, tactile elements, consistent simplistic terminology, and environmental graphics.

Wayfinding as a plan - An effective wayfinding plan recognizes the human factor in the equation, bringing communications to their lowest common denominator, including provisions for users unfamiliar with their environment; under stress; and often with special needs, such as limited English proficiency or poor eyesight.

Wayfinding as a system - Implementing a wayfinding program takes careful orchestration, preplanning, and commitment, but the results are worth the effort.