18 December 2025 (1pm GMT)
Join us for Fenne Roefs’ (Mijksenaar) talk which explores how the Amsterdam Metro is rethinking its wayfinding system to make it more inclusive. It’s a story of design as inclusion: how small changes in signage can transform the experience of hundreds of thousands of daily passengers, bridging languages, cultures, and abilities.
Every day, around 275,000 people navigate the Metro’s 39 stations. Some know the system well; others are tourists, newcomers, or occasional users. Current signs rely on Dutch words and arrows, which work for many but leave others struggling — especially non-Dutch speakers, people with low literacy, or those with cognitive impairment. The challenge posed to wayfinding experts Mijksenaar by Vervoerregio Amsterdam (VRA) was simple yet key to the strategy’s success: how can signage be clearer for everyone?
Inspired by Dutch train stations which use pictograms, and Schiphol Airport which combines pictograms with bilingual texts, two alternatives were tested:
- Replacing text with pictograms
- Adding pictograms alongside text
Between 2023 and 2024, these options were evaluated with three groups: people with a cognitive impairment, people with low literacy, and non-Dutch speakers. The findings were clear: pictograms improved comprehension across all groups. The most effective solution was text supported by pictograms, balancing local familiarity with universal accessibility.
In May 2025, the first redesigned signs were installed in an Amsterdam Metro station, marking the start of a new era in urban wayfinding. Collaboration was central to the project, involving GVB, Stichting MEE Amstel en Zaan, Stichting ABC, and, most importantly, the passengers themselves. Their input reminded us that wayfinding is not just about signs, it’s about promoting users’ independence, dignity, and the confidence to move freely through the city.
This talk shares the journey from challenge to implementation, showing how thoughtful design can make public transport more equitable and welcoming. It’s a case study in how pictograms enrich text, creating a system that works for everyone.
About the speaker
Fenne Roefs leads the Lab at Mijksenaar BV, the company’s in-house research and innovation institute. She holds an MSc in Cognitive Psychology and a BA in Graphic Design, a combination born from her fascination with how people perceive, interpret, and move through the world. To keep up-to-date with the latest scientific insights, Fenne is currently undertaking a PhD at VU Amsterdam. Her research focus is on visual information design, with a particular interest in the visual language of warning flags used at open-water locations. Using traditional research, citizen science, and research-through-design methods, Fenne is investigating how these flags can communicate their messages clearly, and motivate safe behaviour.
About the event
Tickets are free for paid-up SDS members, otherwise £19 per person, available to purchase via the SDS Administrator (please email: enquiries@signdesignsociety.co.uk for more information). Unable to make the seminar on the day? You can buy time-limited access to the talk recording too.
Tickets are non-refundable, unless the seminar is cancelled. We are unable to accept credit card payments over the phone.
Any questions? Please email us.