I have always held great interest in wayfinding. So much, I wrote my honours thesis in that area. Something that led to countless hours at the local art institution nearby observing how people navigate spaces. I figured I could do this for a living if I remained in Australia.

Steve Dewingaerde on Wayfinding

Wayfinding is a professional discipline — part graphic design, part behavioural psychology — concerned with helping people navigate the airports, shopping malls, hospitals and neighbourhoods of today’s often-bewildering built environment. It’s getting somebody from point A to point B in the most comfortable and efficient way possible.

Call it a personal project. A monumental one if it gets picked up by everyone. I am rethinking the current city layout of Kota Kinabalu and how a better map and addressing system might help us find our way better. It is common for locals to describe the location of a place based on surrounding landmarks. For example, the Hyatt hotel is right next to Wisma Merdeka. The problem is that if you do not know where Wisma Merdeka is to begin with, this system will not work.

In Part 2 of this series, I’ll show you some of the ideas that I have and what other cities are doing.