What data does a digital wayfinding map collect about visitors?

Living Map collects no personal data; usage analytics are anonymous. What those analytics do show is what visitors search for on the map, in their own words, so your team learns what people are looking for without knowing who they are.

This is usually one of the first questions an IT, data protection or procurement team asks about a visitor map, and it should be. The map is used by members of the public on their own phones, so it's worth knowing exactly what it does and doesn't collect before anything is signed.

They show what people type into the map's search box. There are no names or contact details, because none are collected, and there's no app to download, because the map opens in the phone's browser.

That's more useful than it sounds. A search box records what people want in the words they use. Someone looking for somewhere to change a baby might type "baby change", "parent room" or "nappy", and each of those tells you how visitors describe what they need, which isn't always how the building describes it.

Here are three examples of the kind of thing a team might look for. They're general examples, not results from a particular site.

• Something people keep searching for that isn't on the map. If a cash machine or a prayer room keeps coming up in the search terms and isn't on the map, that's a gap to fill, on the map or in the building.
• A seasonal rise in searches. Searches for gift wrapping or a Christmas grotto in November tell marketing and operations teams what's on visitors' minds, and when.
• A store that has closed but still gets searched for. Visitors haven't caught up yet, so it's worth pointing them to where it has moved, or to something similar nearby.

Trafford Centre in Manchester names data insight as one of the benefits. In the Trafford Centre case study, Gemma Ward, Head of Marketing, Trafford Centre, said: “As a super-regional shopping and leisure destination, we wanted to improve the wayfinding experience for our visitors, so we partnered with Living Map to roll out 10 digital wayfinding screens in high-traffic areas. The upgrade allows us to quickly implement changes, enhance guest experience, and use data insights to understand customer preferences. Living Map have delivered the product to a high standard, we love the fact that the product is continuously developing and evolving which enables us to offer our customers an innovative mall map with new features.”

You can see how the analytics are presented on the Analytics Dashboard page.

The blue dot, which shows a visitor where they are on the map, uses the phone's own location in the browser. It can be switched off for any client that doesn't want it. Indoors, how accurate it is varies from building to building.

Buyers often ask whether a wayfinding map is GDPR-friendly. Our answer is the one at the top of this page: Living Map collects no personal data, and usage analytics are anonymous.

Your data protection team will still want to make its own assessment, and it should. We'd rather answer their questions directly than try to cover every one of them in a blog post.

Whoever you're talking to, these five questions are worth asking:

• Does the map collect any personal data? If so, what, and why?
• Do visitors have to download an app or create an account to use it?
• What do the analytics show, and are they anonymous?
• How does the location feature work, and can it be switched off?
• Where is any data held, and for how long?

To see what the analytics look like, visit the Analytics Dashboard page, or read our digital wayfinding FAQ for shorter answers to common questions. If your data protection team has questions, we're happy to answer them directly.