Abstract

Teaching strategies are presented to integrate and apply wayfinding research during the design process and reinforce a user experience focus. Project assignments and course outcomes concerning processes, wayfinding literature and applied research connected to graphic communication bring new ideas to education on research-based design with academic objectives. Work translates theoretical and practical needs to a teaching/learning setting. It advances students’ design knowledge and skill through their learning research-based design and interpretive methods of communication. This paper integrates design process principles, behavioral wayfinding theory and graphic communication in education and for future practice. Projects involved examining potential learning outcomes concentrating on informational needs of interior wayfinding and navigational infrastructure. In-depth research and analysis were required to develop strategic plans concerning design recommendations. Specific objectives that guided work were: (1) to understand, interpret, compare, contrast, and explain concepts and principles of wayfinding design, and (2) to increase knowledge of Environment & Behavior studies by synthesizing concepts into a coherent whole via a major design project. Additionally projects emphasized bridging research and creative design, particularly in earlier stages.