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Spatial & Visual Experiments

Find Your Way — Old City

A heritage-aware wayfinding system for Ahmedabad’s UNESCO Old City — turning dense pols, markets, and monuments into a legible experience for visitors and locals without diluting character.

Year :
2022
Course :
Design of Wayfinding Systems (Academic)
Role :
Field research, persona/journey mapping, visual direction (type, color, icons), sign form explorations, content hierarchy, materials & prototyping
Project Duration :
Aug–Nov 2022 · Ahmedabad
Find Your Way — Old City — cover

1)Brief & Objectives

Team

Studio team — Siya Parmar (research, moodboards, form development, physical model); Kashmi Shah, Sakshi Shah, Priyal Soni, Kavya Kanadia, Devanshi Shukla

Deliverables

Wayfinding handbook, sign family system, orientation map, bilingual content hierarchy, digital prototypes, placement & fabrication specs

Tools

Field audits, persona mapping, Illustrator, SketchUp, ACP + retro-reflective vinyl specs, foam/print mockups

The ask

Design a unified wayfinding and sign identity for the Old City that respects heritage while improving legibility at gateways, intersections, and points of interest.

Audience

Heritage tourists on day trips, local shoppers parking-first, residents navigating pols, and drivers who need earlier parking diversion cues.

Goals

  • •Orientation first — clear “You Are Here” and landmark logic at gateways.
  • •Decision support — unmissable cues at forks and intersections.
  • •Mobility clarity — Park & Walk nudges; rickshaw and foot zones.
  • •Cultural fit — bilingual EN/GU, heritage-informed form, durable build.

Outcome snapshot

Heritage Clarity — a sign family spanning orientation boards, directional blades, interpretive plaques, and mobility signage with documented sizes, content grammar, and in-situ placement logic.

2)Users, Research & Pain Points

Methods

On-ground audits with photo logs and sightline notes, informal interviews with tourists, shop owners, and guards, and path tracing at peak and off-peak hours.

Key findings

  • •Visitors miss tucked-away POIs and rely on ad-hoc directions — they need simple maps plus time and distance cues.
  • •Drivers enter lanes too deep and need earlier parking diversion signage.
  • •Existing boards are tiny, low-contrast, or visually drowned in the streetscape.

Personas & journeys

  • •Heritage Tourist (day trip): entry → orient → 4–6 POIs → exit.
  • •Local Shopper (parking-first): car → parking → 2–3 stops → return.

3)Concept & Visual Language

Concept

Heritage Clarity — modern legibility wrapped in old-city cues.

Form & style

  • •Silhouette & trim: arched window top; subtle jaali edge pattern.
  • •Typography: heritage-flavored display for headings + high-legibility sans for info; paired EN/GU with balanced hierarchy.
  • •Palette: terracotta header band, cream text for contrast, marigold accents for emphasis and POIs.
  • •Icons: geometric, low-detail pictograms tested for instant recognition.

Result

A system that reads fast but feels native to place.

4)System Architecture

Orientation boards

Gateways and parking — “You Are Here” map with 5–10 POIs, walking times, optional QR for a mobile guide.

Directional blades

Intersections — destination name, arrow, distance (m), walk time (min), and icon; primary vs. secondary destinations by type scale.

ID & interpretive plaques

At POIs — bilingual name plus 2–3 line story; consistent metadata strip with icon and area.

Mobility & regulatory

Pedestrian zone, auto stand, parking, one-way — friendly microcopy (“Explore on Foot”) over punitive tone.

Rules documented

Fixed header band, EN/GU pairing order, min sizes by viewing distance, arrow orientation validated in situ, contrast targets.

5)Content, Language & Accessibility

Bilingual parity

Gujarati not treated as secondary — equal prominence where native users dominate; mirrored emphasis in English at visitor nodes.

Concise microcopy

Verbs first (Visit, Turn, Walk), no jargon; distances and walk time for mental model.

Accessibility

Type sizes by sightline (pedestrian vs. vehicular), color contrast ≥ WCAG, reflective graphics for night legibility; mounting heights clear of street clutter; tactile/braille option at major boards.

6)Materials, Placement & Prototyping

Materials

  • •ACP (aluminum composite) with powder-coat — weather and stain resistant.
  • •Retro-reflective vinyl (traffic-grade) for night glow without power.
  • •UV-stable inks; tamper-friendly fixings.

Placement logic

Cones of vision, crowd density, façade setbacks; small/medium/large variants per street width.

Prototyping

  • •Scaled foam/print mock of a directional stack for legibility checks.
  • •Digital prototypes validated scale in context.
  • •Material swatches under noon vs. dusk light to lock contrast.

7)Outcomes, Impact & Next Steps

Projected impact

  • •Visitors build a quick mental map; fewer lost moments; hidden sites surfaced.
  • •Locals benefit from clearer parking and flow, reducing ad-hoc congestion.
  • •A consistent urban graphic identity that honors Old City character.

What I learned

Scale-in-context beats on-screen mockups; bilingual pairing needs typographic diplomacy; “invite, don’t police” improves compliance.

Next steps

Gateway kit (orientation + parking), intersection kit (2–3 blades), POI plaque set, fabrication specs; optional QR microsite mirroring icons and colors; tactile plates at high-traffic boards.