Wayfinding in the Rijksmuseum

Abstract

This research is done in the context of the Rijksmuseum. The central goal of the Rijksmuseum is to provide the visitors with a pleasant visit. They have reasons to think that the wayfinding and signage in the museum should be improved to reach their goal. Therefore, this exploratory research is done. In this research the experiences of the visitors are examined. Next to that it is investigated if the wayfinding and signage is a problem, and, if so, these problems are examined. Finally, an advice is given to the Rijksmuseum. To do this, a mixed method approach is used, which consists of observations and a survey. The results show that the wayfinding and signage can be considered as a problem. Visitors experience multiple barriers in the wayfinding and signage, mostly in the circulations areas. Moreover, it can be concluded that by improving the wayfinding in the Rijksmuseum, the overall experience of the visitor will also improve. The advice for the museum is to change their signs (bigger, higher, more, brighter and more informative), to inform the visitors better about the art collection and the complexity of the building and to use nudges, like footprints on the floor.