With university and college enrolment numbers increasing year by year, campuses continue to expand in size. However, navigating these large campuses, especially for new students, is becoming a more pressing challenge, resulting in many students getting lost and arriving late to class. ARway provides an effective wayfinding solution to make life easier for students with accurate location information available at their fingertips.
Outdoor to Indoor AR Wayfinding for Campus Navigation
As new or prospective students walk onto campus, they’ll often see signage and maps on display at the entrance and at random intervals along their path. These stagnant pieces of information prove to be helpful only at that exact moment they intersect, as it’s hard to remember the full path and continue on. Additionally, institutions must keep up with infrastructure and commit to high annual costs and revamps if this is their method of choice. But surely, there has to be a better method. So, how can colleges and universities improve the experience and accessibility of students, staff, and visitors? ARway has the answer: outdoor to indoor wayfinding!
A Campus Map
Location pin navigation.
Even the most experienced student or staff may have trouble navigating such a large space and jumping from building to building. And with many students learning remotely, it may be their first time on campus, proving the need for an interactive campus map. ARway’s wayfinding solution makes it simple to locate classrooms, buildings, and amenities through step-by-step directions provided on-screen to a student’s device. With AR wayfinding being 2 times faster than 2D navigation using signage, students feel little stress about getting to their destination on time. Yet, it’s not simply a way to provide relief for students and faculty – it’s so much more!
Virtual Tours
Universities can enhance their physical tours with ARway’s AR wayfinding solution. With every building and Point of Interest (POI) mapped out, students become familiar with all areas on campus and seamlessly begin their college adventures from day one. The ability to plan ahead with this information is crucial, as 89% of students say campus tours are one of the most useful sources of information during the college selection journey.
Location-Based Educational and Entertainment AR Activations and Experiences
As students and staff seamlessly navigate campus via their phone, ARway enables them to learn so much more about what’s happening around them. Not everyone is guaranteed to read official emails telling them about upcoming events, so activities can be highlighted as pins on their phone for quick access to information. It can be as simple as “virtual icons of nearby events in that direction placed over reality” or more focused information, such as hovering over the library that provides their upcoming workshops.
Implementing 3D and AR activations allow universities to maximize the use of campus airspace and provide entertainment. For prospective students, one of the biggest factors in deciding which college to attend was the “physical attractiveness of a school and its setting” as well as learning about social life. As students consider a university, implementing 3D and AR is surely a way to garner and keep their attention. The University of Nayarit provides 3D visualizations of various murals on several buildings on campus which is a memorable experience for visitors.
Leverage Data Insights to Improve Campus Life
Campus administrators benefit from ARway’s mapping solution just as much as students and staff. High-traffic areas can be tracked and studied to better plan out budgets and adjust spatial layouts accordingly.
Location analytics for a popular area on a university campus.
If a certain area is particularly popular with students, administrators can highlight it as the next spot for the next internship fair or place more food vendors in the area to maximize purchases and student reach.
Interested in enhancing your campus with augmented reality wayfinding and improving the experience for students and faculty members? Visit ARway.ai to learn more.
