Nanxiang Market: Wayfinding for First Time Visitors
Clear wayfinding connects multiple entrances and floors while preserving stallholders' individual expression.
Nanxiang Market is a fictional demonstration project.
Keep the market's individual voices
Handwritten prices, packaging, and calls from stallholders give a market life. Renewal can retain these differences while solving directional problems: three entrances cannot be seen from one another, the upstairs food area is hard to find, and public services are poorly identified.
Field research
We recorded movement in morning, afternoon, and evening markets and asked first time visitors to complete shopping tasks. Confusion appeared most often at stair entrances and midway along long aisles.
Wayfinding hierarchy
The system has three layers. Entrances show floors and main zones. Turning points give direction and distance. Stalls use continuous numbering and replaceable category strips. Colors identify floors, keeping the amount of coded information manageable.
A sans serif with open letterforms and legible numerals works at a distance. A small set of symbols covers baskets, stairs, toilets, and service desks.
Shared maintenance
Stallholders retain their own signs beneath common numbering. Managers receive temporary direction templates that work on an ordinary printer for refurbishment and holiday changes.
Clear wayfinding reduces hesitation and leaves attention for food and conversation.