Open AccessAccessible Wayfinding: Empathy, Human-Centered Design, and a Blank Slate
Author(s) -
Neil Ward
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
interdisciplinary journal of signage and wayfinding
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2470-9670
DOI - 10.15763/ijsw.v1i2.11
Subject(s) - signage , blank , empathy , psychology , university campus , interior design , ethnography , multimedia , applied psychology , computer science , architectural engineering , engineering , sociology , social psychology , visual arts , mechanical engineering , art , anthropology
Wayfinding and signage are important components of a building’s structure and interior space for visitors with and without a mobile/physical disability, especially on university and college campuses. This paper documents a semester-long project where students in an upper-level design elective course identified a building on campus that had an inconsistent and missing wayfinding system. Documenting their ethnographic research and empathetic experiences, students were able to develop a wayfinding system based on research that focused on individuals with a mobile or physical disability. They produced and installed the system in the fall semester of 2016.