SFO Wayfinding

Wayfinding at San Francisco Airport Summary

From Fall 2016 to Spring 2020, I worked with an amazing team of folks at San Francisco Airport planning and implementing improved wayfinding campus wide. This project was primarily put into motion as the new Terminal 1 was set to complete construction in 2019 and opportunity existed to influence how travelers were routed and guided through the airport. 

In addition to rollout, the project involved creating comprehensive set of wayfinding standards; a mighty endeavor in its own right. 

Details

My role
Project Management Support Staff for 2 years
Wayfinding Designer for 2 years

Design consultant team
The super duper talented  City ID
Read more about City ID's summary of airport work

Study and analysis

In order to design and clarify a complex space like an airport, we studied pathways and behaviors of the guests. We also engaged a diverse set of stakeholders to understand airport operations and how we might best support the guest experience. 

Radical collaboration

I worked on a tight knit team of 4-6 designers; interdependence was a key component of our work. 

Methodical deep dives into each space

We took the airport piece by piece, that is, environment by environment and worked to understand what guests in each space needed.

Pop-up tactical user testing

Our process was filled with user testing and understanding guest needs and concerns. 

Interacting with guests and interviewing with intent to iterate the products was one of my favorite parts of this work.

Rollout

This new wayfinding has been rolled out in the recently opened Harvey Milk Terminal 1, and is being implemented throughout the airport in logical steps as construction allows. 

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