Seeing is Believing: How Eye Tracking Informs Wayfinding Design (with Jon Ward)

In this episode of Meet the Waymakers, we’re joined by Jon Ward, Vice President of Global Strategic Sales at Tobii, to explore the psychology of navigation through eye-tracking research. We discuss which visual cues travelers notice or miss, and how stress, fatigue, and split-second instincts shape their decisions.Jon shares findings from research across London Heathrow’s terminals, where observations of real passengers informed ten design rules for clearer, more effective wayfinding. We also discuss why the timing of a message matters as much as its design, how visual clutter competes for attention, and why improving wayfinding can mean removing signs rather than adding more of them.

In this episode of Meet the Waymakers, we’re joined by Jonathan Mugmon, Principal and Wayfinding Director at Populous. Together we explore key concepts in wayfinding planning and design for large-scale environments. Jonathan shares lessons from decades of work on complex, high-traffic venues and what it takes to help people navigate with clarity and confidence.We discuss designing with empathy, how different audiences behave in the same space, and how culture and context shape navigation strategy.Jonathan also shares details about the upcoming bootcamp he’ll be leading at SEGD’s annual conference in Kansas City, and offers a sneak peek into his recently published book, The Science of Wayfinding, and the ideas that shaped it.