Creating community fountains by (re-)designing the digital layer of way-finding pillars

Abstract

Way-finding pillars for tourists aid them in navigating an unknown area. The pillars show nearby points of interest, offer information about public transport and provide a scale for the neighbourhood. Through a series of studies with tourists and locals, we establish their different needs. In this space, we developed Mappy, a mobile application which augments and enhances way-finding pillars with an added digital layer. Mappy opens up opportunities for reappropriation of, and engagement with, the pillars. Seeing the pillars beyond their initial use case by involving a diverse range of people let us develop the digital layer and subsequently overall meaning of way-finding pillars further: as "community fountains" they engage locals and tourists alike and can provoke encounters between them.