Author: Aleema Ahmed

I am not the best with directions. While taking a course called Wayfinding has definitely improved my skills, I will probably still get lost. With that said, I think it’s still important to acknowledge my privilege in living in the 21st century. Can’t retrace your steps? You don’t have to! Just google where you need to go and there are step by step directions on how to get there. Everything we could ever need is at the tip of your fingertips. Recognizing my privilege, I can’t help but think about what my ancestors had to go through. Even more, we have definitely genetically got rid of that instinct of survival. So if we were put in a position similar to what they lived through, we probably would remain lost until someone found us or just died from lack of resources.

While reading Lost Art of Finding Our Way by John Edward Huth, it sheds a light on my many curious thoughts. He states that, “our ancestors proved that humans can absorb exceedingly subtle environmental clues to find their way.” Having to use the stars to steer at night, or wind patterns, they had to be so aware of their environment. I couldn’t even tell you how to get to a building without searching it up. Their observational skills are beyond us now. Being able to sense a change in weather before it arrives. Growing your own food from scratch. Using resources to its fullest. Humans today are completely sheltered and unaware of our surroundings. I recently saw a Tik Tok where a girl didn’t even notice there was a grizzly bear behind her until she turned around. While most of us yell and laugh at her through the screen, the majority of us probably would have noticed later on as well. Compared to our ancestors, we would have died if we saw it beforehand anyway.

Our ancestors had profound ingenuity and resourcefulness in navigating the world. They have definitely inspired contemporary approaches to wayfinding and exploration. One thing even my highly unaware self knows is that moss grows north facing. I doubt that will help me because I would have to know if where I need to be is north or south to start. Same if I had a compass, an essential tool to many but completely useless to me. Anyways, traditional methods of natural navigation, such as observing the direction of sunrise and sunset, interpreting the behavior of birds and marine life, and studying the movement of clouds and stars, are still relevant in modern navigation.

I owe a lot of respect to the people who came before me. They set up the rest of my life, and gave me the many food allergies I have. But more importantly they did the hard part of traveling long and far to bring me to America. I genuinely think about my ancestors everyday and question whether they would be proud of my actions or not. Last weekend I was on a boat in Oman for a couple hours and was seasick almost the entire time. I can’t imagine my ancestors being on boats for months and having to suffer like that. While they would probably be proud of me for coming back to where they probably originated, the middle east, they would definitely be disappointed that I’m a picky eater and have to sleep with the AC on. I hope the generations to come don’t progressively get worse through I’m confident they will. But I will still hope!

I wouldn’t say I’m the most creative person in the world but I do have a slight knack for it. If there is a project that I find interesting or fits my overall aesthetic enough, my creative side will flourish. One place that dusted the cobwebs of my locked up creative side was the symposium. For some time I have been struggling to really have an opportunity to brainstorm with others on some ideas that I had. For me, I need to be inspired by others in order to open my own eyes. 

My favorite but also one of the most underrated talks from the symposium, in my  opinion, was Lyt Hu’s on, “Balancing Art and Practicality in Metro Map Design”. I couldn’t believe that this was one of his first talks. I think his work is a glimpse of our future and I hope it goes worldwide. To start, his focus on balancing aesthetics and utility is very important. The sole purpose of a map is to provide clear information but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with it. It doesn’t just have to jump to the point, it can be specific to the place or area it’s representing. Hu includes concepts like emotional needs and brand identity while also balancing the necessary concepts of functionality and information. Taking all this into account, we also have to realize that there are some limitations. In my opinion, you can’t really discover most limitations without actually testing out the product.

The map below made my jaw drop. I could not imagine a map like that in a train station. At the same time I thought, we need to get to that point soon where the map is something you want to look at to admire its beauty rather than just figure out how to get to your foot fungus appointment. A map doesn’t have to be a picture you delete after your vacation is over. It can be an art piece you want to hang up in your room. I would have never thought of adding an ombre effect to a map. The 3D effect may seem unnecessary to some but it brings the map to life. The key at the bottom ensures its functionality and usability. Although I feel like this is a map of the future, I also keep asking myself the question of, why not now? Why arent we making these changes now? When will we finally start looking at some beautiful maps? I wish I had more time to talk to Hu about more of his creative maps and see more of his ideas. I think his vision is heading in a much more entertaining direction compared to the more standard and straightforward maps we are used to. 

Another creative talk that I think everyone enjoyed was Andrew Mead’s. Although he wasn’t really focused on maps specifically, his creative wayfinding definitely influenced a lot of us. He showed us that wayfinding isn’t just arrows and signs. The image below is a dog showing us the way out of a train station. This way is much more fun compared to an arrow.  

Another example I hope we can include more of is shown below. Making distinct connections with the community or place. I hate when all the stations or stops look the same. It just makes it more difficult to recognize or differentiate for everyone. If each station had its own pizzaz, people would want to go to it more. I especially love when the community is closely involved like the image below. In my opinion, since the community will be utilizing the space the most, their opinion means that much more. If the community doesn’t like it then you have failed. In addition to this photo, Meed emphasizes how this also creates a generational effect of people coming and looking for grandparents or other relatives writing. It also just makes that station more busy and used especially if it’s not a popular station. 

Overall, the symposium definitely broke the shackles my creative side was locked in. I learned a lot and enjoyed how close knit it was. I was even more glad to have spoken to the creative minds and was able to ask more questions about their journey. I think this was a great opportunity for the older generation to provide some advice and guidway to the new generation. Hopefully in a few years they can fully retire their hats and let us take full control. Hopefully we don’t mess up. Even if we do, we have to mess up to understand our limitations and what works and what doesn’t. 

 

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority map of New York City, as shown in Figure 1, is one of the most iconic transportation maps in the world, in my very biased opinion. The map covers vast networks in a clear and easy way. It is designed with clear line representations, station markers, and color-coding for different subway lines. In addition, different routes are labeled with different letters and numbers causing little confusion when getting from point A to B. The MTA has even brought upon a societal culture amongst New Yorkers. You take the 6 train? You must be from the Bronx. You take the N train? What part of Astoria are you from? Although it is pretty clear, I do have a few critiques after learning about what important things we should consider when making transit maps. More so, what cities seem to be making better maps and how NYC can improve theirs.

Figure 1: MTA Map

To start, when looking at the map while taking the train, it can look overwhelming with all the overlapping lines. In print, especially in smaller fonts, it can be difficult to read certain details that can be very important. You can miss or even mistake stops from another train. Another issue is the lack of street detail. In a big city, transit routes may not provide enough detail about street-level geography, making it less useful for those needing precise street information. Alongside this, there are many exits to take from one specific train station. While it might clog up more room on the map, it’s important to clarify the different exits. Many people, including myself, often get off at the right stop but wrong exit. One big issue even New Yorkers face that can’t really be avoided is limited information it can provide on service changes. The MTA service changes by the minute! One second your train is going on its normal schedule the next someone pulls the emergency brake. The system is unpredictable! But there is always some fun in that in my opinion, unless you have a strict professor who takes attendance on the dot. 
While I love how the MTA map is geographical, it is not the most accurate geographical map. The London Underground map, as shown in Figure 2, uses a non-geographic, schematic layout that makes it easy for users to navigate the extensive network of tube lines. Another thing I admire is how interchange stations, where multiple lines intersect, are marked with large circles or ovals. These interchange points are crucial for passengers transferring between different Tube lines. The MTA just represents that with crowded lining which can just be overwhelming rather than helpful. The River Thames is a prominent feature on the map, providing a visual reference point for users to understand the orientation of stations in relation to the river, which seems relevant due to the overall lack of geographical information. One thing most New Yorkers could use that the Londoners got right is the inclusion of bathroom symbols on their map. In New York, we never rely on the train station to have a bathroom. That seems like a luxury. 

Figure 2: The London Underground Map

When making my Abu Dhabi Transit map, I had a really hard time figuring out what direction I wanted to go in. Stick to my amazing almost perfect MTA map, or go European? It was a very hard decision to make but I think I went for what the people wanted which is much more simple and straightforward. Especially with less things to cover in Abu Dhabi, I think the map I ended with is much easier to read and understand. It highlights the important routes and doesn’t need too many extra components. I think I have a lot more to learn. My map is definitely not the best I could’ve done but I think it’s due to my lack of familiarity with Adobe Illustrator. Hopefully the more I practice, the more abilities I attain!

 

Born and raised in Queens, New York meant that I had everything I needed all around me. Ran out of toilet paper? Go down the block to Uncle’s store with a big red sign. Need to go grocery shopping? Head to Trade Fair under the N train. I knew where everything was based on specific landmarks that stood out. Today I know that these are all used in the concept of wayfinding. Wayfinding can be defined as a way people navigate the world around them. While a simple to understand term, it contains many concepts that I now have a name for, for example landmarks. Landmarks are prominent features like building or sculptures that act as a center point or guide when navigating. New York City has many well known landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, The World Trade Center, and The Empire State Building. Although those are known to the whole world, my landmarks consist of my Uncle’s store, the N train, and even the big crack on the sidewalk that the city never fixes.

Figure 1: My Beloved N Train

Figure 2: World Trade Center From Washington Square

While knowing so many landmarks around me is comforting and helpful most times, I have become reliant on them. I have no clue about street names or addresses. When I had to start venturing outside of Queens for high school and college, I struggled a lot. I was completely reliant on GPS. Even using GPS, I wouldn’t even bother at looking at street names, I would just follow the big blue arrow. Navigating new places is still very difficult for me. Today in Abu Dhabi I still rely on my old habit of landmarks to get around. The palm trees, the toilet paper sculpture, and the high line are my new comforting landmarks.

One thing most people love about New York is how it’s a walkable city. This means that you can walk most places, unless it’s in another borough. Even if it’s in a different borough, pay $2.90 (or hop the turnstile) and take the train around all of New York City. The activities and possibilities are endless in New York. New York in my opinion, has a great public transportation system. From my experience, it is pretty easy to navigate unless you are traveling during the weekend when the trains like to try out different routes, then, you should just take a taxi. The grid system of Manhattan makes it hard to get lost but the skyscrapers definitely make it overwhelming. It can be overstimulating with all the noise and tourists but once you get used to it, New York is a whole new world, especially compared to Abu Dhabi.

Although New York is great, I think there are a few things the city could definitely work on. One thing is signage. Signage is a very important concept in wayfinding. Signage provides important information in a clear and concise way but also in a very vibrant way to ensure that it is seen. Due to the hustle and bustle of New York, most signage isn’t as big or obvious as it should be. Another thing the city needs a lot of work on is accessibility. This is an issue that affects a lot of people, not just the disabled. My mom always mentions how difficult it was for her to take a stroller on the train and that you have to be reliant on a good pedestrian to help you get around. It is very unfair to prevent people from getting around due to something they can’t control. Implementing these things will definitely help create a more user friendly wayfinding experience.