Wayfinding

The process by which people orient themselves in physical or digital spaces, determine their destination, and navigate a route to reach it. Wayfinding encompasses the cognitive, sensory, and physical strategies people use to understand where they are, where they need to go, and how to get there. In accessibility, wayfinding is a critical concern because it depends on environmental cues — signage, landmarks, spatial layout, tactile surfaces, auditory signals — that may be inaccessible to people with visual, cognitive, or mobility disabilities. Accessible wayfinding design includes tactile ground surface indicators, audible pedestrian signals, clear and consistent signage with high contrast, simplified spatial layouts, and increasingly, digital navigation tools that provide turn-by-turn directions adapted for different disability types.