Exploring complex storytelling through wayfinding design

Stories Worth Telling - crafting stories through the art of design

Abstract

Designing wayfinding systems in the built environment presents multifaceted challenges. D esigners must navigate not only physical spaces but also the intricate social and symbolic dynamics. In the context of developing a new wayfinding and navigation design brief and project framework for the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Australia (RBGV), another layer of complexity is critical: Australia’s (post)colonial history, and the particular colonial inscriptions that mark the botanical institution. The research team started to address the given project through the Stanford University Design Thinking (DT) 5-Step method while simultaneously questioning the appropriateness of western-centric design methodologies. Integration of the Australian Indigenous Design Charter (AIDC) and the International Indigenous Design Charters (IIDC) alongside the DT method emerged as a promising approach. How these two approaches would interplay together became a key concern. What emerged was the critical need for sharing stories and deep listening as ways toward a shared empathetic pathway between DT and AIDC. The work culminated in the integration of Australian Indigenous Cultural Knowledge into the wayfinding a nd navigation project for the RBGV.