Wayfinding research

Understand how people navigate physical spaces

Wayfinding is the process of navigating through physical environments using visual, spatial, and cognitive cues to help people orient themselves and reach their destinations. Eye tracking helps organizations see how wayfinding signage and navigation systems are actually experienced, revealing attention gaps and moments of confusion to drive evidence‑based improvements.

Behavioral insights into spatial navigation and signage design

Eye tracking uncovers where attention breaks down and how people experience wayfinding systems in complex physical environments.

70%
of navigation errors occur when
wayfinding signage is overlooked,
misunderstood, or poorly placed.
65%
of wayfinding system decisions are
based on assumptions rather than
observed navigation behavior.
60%
of large public spaces fail to meet
user expectations due to gaps in
wayfinding signage design.

What is wayfinding research?

Wayfinding research studies how people navigate and orient themselves in physical or digital environments. It analyzes how users find destinations, interpret signage, and make navigation decisions to improve layouts, signage systems, and overall navigation experiences.

Benefits of eye tracking in wayfinding design research

Eye tracking provides a first-person view of navigation behavior, revealing how people truly interact with their environment — not just how designers expect them to. By understanding how people actually navigate spaces, organizations can design wayfinding systems that reduce friction and guide movement with confidence.

Optimize wayfinding signage
Understand which signs are seen, ignored, or misunderstood to improve placement, hierarchy, and messaging.
Improve wayfinding systems
Identify breakdowns in navigation flow and decision points where users hesitate or take wrong turns.
Reduce stress and confusion
Design environments that feel easier to navigate, especially in high-pressure or unfamiliar settings.
Make informed design decisions
Use visualized attention data to align stakeholders and drive confident, evidence-based changes.

Understanding visual attention

Eye tracking adds critical context by revealing how people visually navigate spaces, signage, and decision points as they move through an environment.

Traditional wayfinding research methods

Observed visual navigation
Shows exactly where people look as they move through corridors, intersections, and spaces.
Post‑task interviews and recall
Relies on participants describing confusion or clarity after the navigation task is complete.
Assumed signage visibility
Signage effectiveness is inferred based on placement rather than confirmed visual attention.
Manual observation and note‑taking
Uses floor plans or mockups that don’t reflect real movement and visual load.
Static plans and maps
Uses floor plans or mockups that don’t reflect real movement and visual load.
Limited insight into decision points
Hard to identify where hesitation, uncertainty, or missed cues actually occur.

Wayfinding research with Tobii eye tracking

Visual behavior insight
Reveals where users look, what they ignore, and how attention moves across the interface.
Natural interaction preserved
Captures gaze without interrupting users or changing how they perform tasks.
Attention before action
Shows what users evaluate visually before clicking, scrolling, or making decisions.
Validated findability
Confirms whether navigation, labels, and calls‑to‑action are actually seen.
Earlier detection of friction
Identifies confusion, hesitation, and visual overload as they happen.
Deeper understanding of user effort
Helps assess visual complexity, scanning patterns, and cognitive demand.

Our products and services for wayfinding studies

Enhance the features of your wayfinding signage design

Since wayfinding depends on visual cues, spatial design, and human decision-making to enable intuitive navigation in physical spaces, it is essential that the chosen design elements attract the navigator's attention.

Signage

Ensure signage is strategically positioned, and messages are clear and noticeable to guide visitors, travelers, and shoppers. Eye tracking data shows whether visitors notice the signs, how quickly they detect them, and whether their gaze follows the intended direction.

Color coding

Use different colors to distinguish areas and routes on maps. Eye tracking reveals whether users visually differentiate the color-coded areas and how quickly they identify the correct route.

Flooring design

Flooring patterns and spatial cues can help direct movement. Eye tracking enables observation of whether people follow floor cues with their gaze and whether these patterns successfully guide attention and movement.

Wayfinding systems use cases

Across all contexts, Tobii helps organizations understand navigation behavior and design wayfinding systems that work in the real world.

Urban planning and architecture

In cities and public spaces, wayfinding systems help people navigate complex street layouts, parks, and transport networks. Research-driven wayfinding signage improves accessibility, reduces confusion, and supports smoother pedestrian flow in dense environments.

Healthcare facilities

Hospitals and clinics rely on effective wayfinding to guide patients, visitors, and staff through stressful and unfamiliar environments. Eye tracking helps identify signage gaps and visual overload, enabling calmer, more efficient navigation.

Educational institutions

Large campuses use wayfinding signage design, maps, and color-coded paths to help students and visitors move confidently between buildings and facilities, supporting better orientation and accessibility.

Transportation hubs

Airports, train stations, and terminals depend on high-performing wayfinding systems to manage large volumes of people. Eye tracking reveals how passengers interact with signs, displays, and digital information under time pressure.

Cultural and recreational spaces

Museums, galleries, and amusement parks use wayfinding to enhance exploration and engagement. Research insights help balance guidance with discovery, improving overall visitor experience.

Digital wayfinding

Mobile apps, interactive kiosks, and digital maps are increasingly part of modern wayfinding systems. Eye tracking supports the design of intuitive digital navigation tools that complement physical signage and environments.

Trusted by leading companies and innovators

“I would definitely recommend eye tracking as a study method. I think if you work in the out-of-home advertising market or public spaces like we do, then it's definitely a big advantage of eye tracking to get deeper insights.

Christian Sandtner

Marketing and Advertising Manager, Munich Airport

“We can combine this data with what we already know in order to convey the effectiveness of digital signage to advertisers and advertising agencies.

Osaka Metro Adera

“When you compare the two methods; surveys and eye tracking, eye tracking is way more objective when it comes to measuring the attention, but also the understanding of signage.

Benjamin Fischer

Manager, Traffic Process Development, Munich Airport

“With eye tracking we can pinpoint exactly where passengers face confusion in their journeys and what signage is being ignored or misinterpreted.

Wesley Lang

Research and Insight manager (Operations), Heathrow