Co-Designing Wayfinding Systems: A Systemic Approach for a University for All

This paper presents ongoing research conducted within the "Campus Life" strategic axis of the Tous EGO project, launched by the Université de Bretagne Occidentale (UBO) in 2025. The study adopts an experimental approach aimed at defining wayfinding elements for UBO campuses that are perceivable and usable by the widest possible range of users. Currently, UBO-in the 61 buildings analysed, distributed in 7 cities-lacks a comprehensive wayfinding system, resulting in stress and navigation difficulties for students, staff, and visitors alike [1] [2]. The fundamental aspect of the study is the understanding of the uses (the use of places for orientation, as well as the use of tools - such as a graphic charter - by professionals, the use of experience through training to deploy the work carried out…), explored throughout a methodology developed accordingly. To ensure accessibility and inclusivity, the research is grounded in a methodological framework that conceives orientation not as a function limited to visual signage, but as a complex, multisensory system of interconnected elements [3] [4]. Research questions and experimental activities have thus been developed in close collaboration with stakeholders from the other two Tous EGO strategic axes (Governance and Teaching), with coordinators of related Campus Life initiatives and students with disabilities directly involved as active participants. An additional contribution is provided by a visiting PhD candidate from Politecnico di Torino, whose doctoral work addresses related topics. The research process has so far included an initial survey of existing wayfinding elements across UBO sites (each site being a complex). This phase involved approximately 700 hours of on-site observation, complemented by informal interviews with around one hundred individuals (students, faculty, and technical-administrative and service staff), with the aim of understanding user flows and functions within each building. In parallel, collaboration with university services supporting students with specific needs made it possible to identify recurring critical issues in spatial orientation and the use of spaces. In the following phase the identified issues were analyzed and, in dialogue with UBO governance, priority areas for intervention were defined to guide the co-design of experimental solutions. The current phase involves the implementation of participatory activities engaging students and staff, with and without disabilities. These activities focus not so much on specific needs as on shared perceptual dimensions-across different senses and including a broader proprioceptive dimension of spatial orientation. The outcomes of these experiments will be translated into design requirements for improving campus wayfinding systems, which are currently relying only on visual cues. Another aspect that will be taken into consideration is that of universality, the ability to find common ground so that the inclusive wayfinding system can adapt to the specificities of each university site. Subsequently, the solutions developed will be tested on two UBO campuses and evaluated. The final objectives of the research include supporting the large-scale deployment of successfully validated interventions across all campuses, disseminating results through training activities, and developing guidelines for UBO staff and for other universities participating in the "Universités inclusives démonstratrices" program promoted by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research.