Pathfinder

(Copied and pasted from my Research Summary)

Currently fixed static signs form the basis of most wayfinding systems. However, “electronic and dynamic media are becoming valuable additions to the wayfinding tool kit” (Gibson, 2009, p. 118). “Because of the evolution of hardware, the increasing use of global positioning systems (GPS), and the growth of wireless networks, the mobile wayfinding device is one of the field’s most rapidly evolving new territories” (Gibson, 2009, p. 119).

 David Sweeney, a researcher from the Royal College of Art created Pathfinder, a navigational tool for mobile phones designed not only to provide location information to a physically or cognitively impaired user but to also offer a range of ways the user can access the data (Anderson, n.d.). The information can be communicated on screen, translated into different languages or spoken aloud. If users choose to hear this information as spoken text, they can speed it up, slow it down, and even change the voice of the person speaking it. Pathfinder also incorporates information depth control, which allows the user to adjust the level and type of information they need (Knapp, 2009).

More can be found about Pathfinder at: http://www.davidsweeneydesign.com/project/wayfinding/