The TMU campus presents wayfinding challenges for students faculty, staff and visitors. Several distinct buildings share a common footprint and corridors, and there are pedestrian tunnels and bridges that link multiple buildings. Navigating interior spaces often means not knowing where one building ends and the next begins.
Existing signage was based on the needs of departments operating in the spaces instead of the needs of the travellers trying to find them. Building on the existing signage standards, I developed a cognitive-design-based wayfinding strategy collaboratively with then-student, Evin Wong. Evin collected building data and then created critical, thoughtful and effective design elements for a pilot. He then oversaw the implementation of suspended signage in seven interconnected buildings.
The shift in design approach prioritized a hierarchy of information for user-based needs: 1) "Where am I?", 2) "What's here?", and 3) "What are my next steps?" — location, context and options.
The second major shift was to develop a scheme based on human-psychology: Reducing the use of written instructions to combat the "doorway effect" (the psychological effect where you forget what you were thinking/planning when you move from one environment to another) and using salient cues that trigger automatic mental processes. Studies show an average of 200 milliseconds to capture attention when viewing signage — wayfinding signage is not read, it prompts action.
Simple, consistent and repetitive conventions reduce cognitive demands and mental resources. As people are moving, they use recognizable cues at key decision points and follow "breadcrumbs" to navigate.
Additionally, in support of out commitement to accessibility and inclusivity, we modified exterior building IDs for older buildings where the main entrance is not accessile to users of mobility devices. We modified the accepted design to include directions to the nearest accessible entrance.
