Speaker Biograghy: Jim leads Gresham, Smith and Partners’ Environment Graphic and Design Group. His vast signage and wayfinding design experience is unique in the breadth of industries and project types, including corporate campus and urban design, healthcare, land planning and aviation. Jim is frequently published in major industry trade journals and was the principal investigator for the Airport Cooperative Research Program's Report 52: Wayfinding and Signage Guidelines for Airport Terminals and Landsides – a first-of-its-kind guidebook offering airport operators across the USA best practices for terminal and roadway signage. Jim was the leading wayfinding contributor to ACRP Report 161: Guidelines for Improving Airport Services for International Customers, and the principal investigator for ACRP Report 177: Enhancing Wayfinding for Aging Travelers and Persons with Disabilities. Jim is a member of the Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD) and has been honoured numerous times for his wayfinding planning and design programmes.


Day 2 - 21 March
Session: Airport Design, Planning & Development

16:15 - 16:45 - Reaching new heights: a research-based approach for improving the airport wayfinding experience
Synopsis: Wayfinding research has a proven and direct impact on the passenger experience, which in turn correlates to airport business performance. However, research from recent ACRP Reports concerning wayfinding guidelines and best practices have identified the difficulties faced by international travellers, the elderly and disabled persons when navigating airports. These reports document the best wayfinding practices and principles for designing for persons with disabilities. This session will explore how the research-based guidelines centred around principles of universal design not only ease wayfinding for travellers with special needs but will likewise improve the passenger experience for all travellers.

Audience will learn:

• How research provides an objective approach to delivering proven wayfinding results, which otherwise tends to be very subjective
• Navigational difficulties faced by international travellers, the elderly and disabled, and how to use a first-of-its-kind wayfinding accessibility audit
• How improving the experience for persons with disabilities has a positive effect that improves the passenger experience for everyone
• How wayfinding impacts the passenger experience, and how the principles of universal design help move beyond regulations to improve it
• How to create better mobile apps for travellers with special needs using a checklist created to help airports and developers