As tools to support wayfinding, wayfinding systems have often involved the design of signage, maps, street names, and information. However, there is a research gap in place-based wayfinding system design, especially within a cultural context. To further extend the role of wayfinding system design in understanding urban culture, this research used walking interviews to explore people’s understanding of urban culture and the utilization of cues in the urban environment during the wayfinding process. Thirteen walking interviews were conducted in Manchester city centre with a total of seventeen participants, focusing on the cultural districts as the context. Participants were asked to complete wayfinding tasks involving five to seven cultural districts as destinations. The results suggested that the cues used as references for the wayfinding process in the urban environment include architecture and its style, streets, maps, landmarks, greenery, heritage, and artefacts. Notably, architecture and its style, heritage, and landmarks are important factors influencing people’s perceptions of the city. In addition to these physical objects, the presence of people on the streets and certain abstract street atmospheres were also mentioned. The findings contribute novel elements to the scope of wayfinding system design and offer designers new ideas, as well as elements that should be considered for inclusion in place-based wayfinding system design.
Jingyuan Liu, a Ph.D. candidate at the Lancaster Institute for Contemporary Arts, Lancaster University. Her research focuses on the visual design of urban wayfinding systems. She is particularly interested in how improving the visual design of wayfinding systems can help people explore urban culture, enhance city experiences, and improve urban aesthetics. Additionally, she is passionate about exploring collaborative design methods for these visual designs and enjoys investigating serious gaming approaches for urban wayfinding system development.