1. Giving the public x-ray vision:
Digital innovation and wayfinding
in Lancaster City Centre
A collaboration between Highwire Doctoral Training Centre at
Lancaster University, & Lancaster City Council
Miriam Sturdee

2. Identifying the issues:
Public thoroughfares / routes through the city centre are not
always clear
The ‘physical’ space does not match the ‘digital space’
Poor / outdated signposting
!
Low footfall to prime tourist areas such as St George’s Quay
!
Barriers caused by building developments and traffic flow

3. Other considerations:
Multiple council-led projects overlap and operate
independently - no ‘roadmap’ of how they interlink
Transient stage for the council in terms of planning and
branding
Perceived low levels of engagement from ‘native’
Lancastrians ‘seen it all already’
!
Low relative budget for new signage - funding part of a wider
regeneration project
!
‘Visibility’ of areas from a perspective on the ground is limited

4. Previous work
Lucid Lancaster investigation set the stage for increasing
legibility in the city
Identified areas of improvement, perceived steepness,
barrier of China Street
Identified importance of visibility of the horizon in orientation
in unfamiliar places
!
Interested in creating a cohesive strategy with multiple
local groups
!

5. Current digital projects
Pivotpan - Augmented Reality itineraries, mapping the
pedestrian areas of the city and the inside of local business
and tourist sites
World Around Me - Augmented Reality business-finding app
PROUD working group / Beyond The Castle - Co-Design
!
Google Maps - creation of a Heritage Map / personalised

6. Four stage approach
Bring together council/local groups via digital means to
establish clear game plan and bring strength in numbers, as
well as diversity of ideas
Create a novel ‘physical’ signage system to engage locals
and visitors alike and reach out to non-smart phone users
Create an app with which smartphone users can orientate
themselves within the city centre and tourist sites
!
Devise a symbol/icon with which areas of interest and extra
content (digital) can be pinpointed, linking to proposed
branding activity and bringing together different groups

7. 1. Lancaster
City Council
Projects &
Partners
(Initial Draft)
NESTING OF LANCASTER CITY COUNCIL
PROJECTS AND PARTNERS
INTEGRATED APP AND
DIGITAL/PROJECTED SIGNAGE SYSTEM:
PROPOSED BENEFICIARIES AND PARTNERS
BRANDING
SQUARE ROOTS
BEYOND THE CASTLE
QUAY
CONNECTIONS
LIGHT
UP
LANCASTER
SECRET
GARDENS
CONSULTANTS
& PARTNERS
(INFOTECH/
PIVOTPAN/
CAIRN CONSULTING/
LANCASTER ARTS CITY)
LANCASTER
VISION
2020
LANCASTER
UNIVERSITY
(CATALYST
/HIGHWIRE)
CAMPUS
IN THE
CITY
BUISNESS IMPROVEMENT
DISTRICT (BID)

8. 1. A digital solution?
Hosting on council website difficult - i.e. bandwidth, CMS
support, autonomy
Forum based platform?
Using ‘tags’ to highlight relevant content to groups working
on different parts of the whole
Creating a ‘living’ neural network of connections in real time

9. 1. A physical solution?
0.5 FT Projects Officer to track and map multiple council led /
involved projects and ensure working to one common goal
Volunteer project officers from each working group - working
3 month rotations
Funding…

10. 2. Where am I?
Lancaster
1824
Lancaster
2014

11. Wouldn’t it
be helpful if
we could
see through
walls?

12. 2. Opportunities for innovation
Seeing beyond the bricks and mortar
- what lies beneath/behind?
Making
sense of
‘dead ends’
Accidental
Iconography
Potential for projection

13. 2. X-ray specs
Merging the digital with the physical
Icons
signposting
digital world?
The story
continues…
Using existing structures

14. 2. Projections Prototyping #1
Extended bracket from
wall creating angle for
4000-6500 lumens
architectural projector
Lancaster
‘walking cat’
icon to indicate
interactivity
and city quarter
Specialist screen paint to
create large scale outdoor
projection surface
Bollard connected
to projector
allowing visitors to
select which depth
they wish to see to
1
2
3
4

15. 2. Projections Prototyping #2
1. China Street
Google view
2. Lancaster
Castle Google
view
3. China Street
Sketch view (with
map)
4. Lancaster
Castle Sketch
view (with map)
1
2
3
4

16. 2. Projections Prototyping #3
1. China Street
Google view
2. Lancaster
Castle Google
view
3. China Street
Sketch view (with
map)
4. Lancaster
Castle Sketch
view (with map)
1
2
3
4

17. 2. Projections Prototyping #4
1. China Street
Google view
2. Lancaster
Castle Google
view
3. China Street
Sketch view (with
map)
4. Lancaster
Castle Sketch
view (with map)
1
2
3
4

18. 2. Evaluation
Logistics - crime / cost / daylight projection limitations?
Opportunities to crowd-source photo data - public ownership
!
Publicity for the city
Could be used by other groups - e.g. local business, arts
(Light Up Lancaster), theatre, school/college projects
Idea could be developed to see ‘under’ castle to Roman site
or through walls into ‘secret’ gardens / businesses
(advertising potential)

19. 3. Digital versioning
Limited sites for projections?
Smartphone proliferation
!
Augmented Reality - overlaying digital onto physical space in
real time

20. 3. App Prototyping #1

21. 3. App Prototyping #2

22. 3. Evaluation
Can link to existing Google Maps database / business
location AR apps
Portable X-ray vision
!
Uses other than way finding possible - heritage / storytelling

23. 3. Thoughts on Apps VS Projectors
Development costs VS Equipment costs
Daylight projection - £4000 bulb - BUT, relatively low crime in
Lancaster, longevity possible
Combination approach?
Visibility around the city for visitors and residents is important,
but so is the INSIDE of the city and its people / projects
Funding available - digital high street / lottery / others?

24. 4. An icon for Lancaster
The city can be divided into areas / quarters
Link everything with an emblem - witch = limiting
!
Physical icon can be painted onto walls to assist way finding,
show areas of interest, treasure hunt for children
Business buy-in e.g. coffee quarter, stickers in window, icon
indicates presence of digital content
(website / historical interest / Google Maps content)
Can tie in to the overarching Lancaster City ‘brand’

25. Iconographic
signposts to
content
Creating a sub-brand for
signage based on
Lancaster’s heritage -
witch already in use…
familiar?

26. 4. Evaluation
Cats are natural explorers and curious - ties in with
Pendle Witches but more subtle
!
Easily recognisable, non-intrusive
Smartphones can ‘recognise’ shapes
(like facial recognition)
Could be used across all council led projects

27. Thank you!