Our Thinking: Why understanding mental mapping is still vital in the digital age
More and more we hear about the role of technology applications like Google Maps to solve the riddles of wayfinding in our complex, challenging urban environments. But for wayfinding strategists like those we have at ID-LAB, this simplistic approach forgoes one of the most powerful tools – and source of insights – we have at our disposal: our minds.
What are Mental Maps?
Maps are a graphic representation of geographic areas. Their purpose is to aid movement through or understanding of the places we go. Generally, they are shown from an aerial perspective, which reveals the physical changes, also known as gradients, within an area. They also show the connections or relationships between the different parts of an area or space, unaltered by the parts form or size. Drawn or drafted maps are generally intended to be objective and resemble actual space. Pretty simple, right?
Mental maps, also known as cognitive maps, are a lot less well understood. They are our internal representations of the same kinds of geographic or spatial information and their purpose is also to aid movement. They are constructed by psychological processes and tendencies that may distort or simplify our understanding of areas or spaces, favour or ignore their individual features, and often create completely non-realistic images of our environment.
Despite these apparent shortcomings, mental mapping is an essential skill we depend upon every day—commuting to workplaces and returning home, visiting new places, taking shortcuts, or giving directions. In each of these scenarios, the goal is to reach a destination without becoming lost.
Why do Mental Maps Matter?
Successful wayfinding systems are made up of purposeful and directed routes from origins to destinations, in which elements are designed specifically to enable people to develop useful mental maps. To do this, wayfinding strategists must have an in-depth understanding of mental mapping. This includes the psychological processes that build mental maps and their components, how we choose routes, as well as how mental mapping functions alongside more commonly known traits like sense of direction.
People explore, journey, tour or wander through familiar or unknown areas, and their travels can be free and unstructured or guided in some way. Choosing a complete, known route or deliberately making our way to a destination is a form of guidance generally known as navigation. Finding our way from a place of origin to a destination by selecting routes from a network is known as pathfinding, wayshowing, or wayfinding. Mental maps are created from the knowledge of our environment we gain by wayfinding, by selecting routes and then following them.
Unlike drawn or drafted maps, mental maps do not closely resemble actual space, and wayfinding strategies which help build these maps must recognise their unique and unusual features. Therefore the goal of simple, or even more importantly “intuitive” navigation relies on successfully understanding and applying the rules that make mental maps work.
The 3 Keys to Unlocking Mental Maps:
1: Diagonal Discomfort
One of the foremost ways in which information is simplified is known as alignment. Alignment is the mind’s tendency to favour horizontal or vertical lines over diagonal or slanted ones. This is likely due to the fact that, when standing or walking, our bodies are aligned vertically against the angle of the horizon. Wayshowing elements and topologies that favour horizontal or vertical lines are more likely to create motivating and useful mental maps, whereas topologies that favour diagonal or slanted lines are more likely to create anxiety and discomfort.
2: Spatial Stick-figures
Other ways in which mental maps simplify information are known as regularising and regionalising. Regularising is the mind’s tendency to interpret complex geographic areas as simpler blocks of space—the spatial equivalent of stick-figures. Simplified maps are much easier to remember and understand than maps showing everything in great detail. Good wayshowing strategies should incorporate elements and topologies that can be regularised and still remain meaningful and memorable.
3: Ganging Up
Regionalising is the mind’s tendency to group adjacent objects together. Again, this occurs simply as a way to make good use of our memory, as named or recognised groups, whether beach suburb, harbourside shops or restaurant district, are easier to remember than all their individual elements.
Although useful, regionalising can distort our perception of distance. For example, the distance between locations in different regions can seem longer than the same distance between points in the same region.
Wayfinding systems should be designed for the effects of regionalising. Relationships between adjacent features or landmarks may be linked or related in ways that support naming or legibility as groups, and wayfinding content, such as distance information, should be expressed in ways that are clear and unambiguous.
Where Does This Take Us?
Now more than ever, the purpose of a journey largely determines the route taken and the wayfinding techniques used. Architecture, environmental design and information design must work together to provide legible spaces, and landmarks, memorable features and signs to help users build a coherent mental picture. The use of digital technology offers further advancement, enabling a connected wayfinding experience and providing a valuable opportunity to increase accessibility and inclusivity.
Digital, however, is only a tool. Successful wayfinding strategies depend upon a fundamental grasp of human behaviour and psychology, as well as an understanding of the place, its range of users, its connections to the surrounding environment, potential barriers to movement and any number of other considerations.
Everyone navigating an environment – whether it’s a complex building or precinct, transport hub, neighbourhood or city – relies on mental mapping skills, and each instance of successful navigation contributes towards building a coherent mental picture of the information environment. It's this understanding that enables people to find their way confidently, enjoy exploring new areas, and reach new or familiar destinations safely .
As they always have, solutions come from understanding.