Maps in the Mind

GPS-based mobile navigation systems have vastly simplified wayfinding. Given the accessibility and ubiquity of navigation apps today, it is seldom that one would hit the road without consulting their phones. While navigation apps bring the assurance of us never being lost again, it also brings about a change in our behaviours – often focusing on our ability to follow directions, rather than leveraging or reinforcing our own mental maps.

‘Maps in the Mind’ is an exploration of multiple interventions for existing apps geared towards helping people engage with their own spatial knowledge. The solution introduces subtle interactions within navigation platforms aimed at nudging our behaviour – so technology doesn’t replace our innate capabilities, but rather augments them.