Uppsala University officially launched their MazeMap installation in August 2017, and has since set a record in speedy user uptake. By the end of February 2018, Uppsala surpassed 100 000 unique user sessions in MazeMap, proving that the digital wayfinding service has been an immense success on the oldest university in the Nordics. The feedback from both students and personnel the students also show that they see great value in the service. What’s Uppsala’s secret?

“A key factor to our success has been a good support from the university management and that all the important departments are involved in the project. That have given us the right resources and a great platform for implementation.” – Fredrik Lindgren, Facilities dept.

Ease of access
Uppsala has made it very easy to reach the map service in a variety of ways to support multiple user groups and use cases. MazeMap is the university’s main map application, and if you simply enter the web site, you will access MazeMap simply from your web browser. Students who leverage MazeMap a lot can instead choose to download the MazeMap mobile application for iOS and Android for ease of access. Furthermore, MazeMap is embedded in Uppsala University’s time table system TimeEdit, where there is a map link associated with all lecture rooms and auditoriums. To top it off, Uppsala University has also placed digital kiosk screens in public areas for people to leverage MazeMap on to find their way. Supporting a multitude of user groups is a critical factor in Uppsala’s success with MazeMap.

Solid marketing
Just as importantly, Uppsala has done a great job in educating their students and staff that the service is available. Several updates have been sent internally in the organisation, and information has been given to all relevant parties such as student associations. Furthermore, they’ve created easy-to-follow guides on how to use the already quite intuitive MazeMap interface. Creating awareness and being visible is critical to achieve high user numbers.

“We have informed all student associations about Mazemap before the semester starts and also regularly informed the whole staff about updates.” – Fredrik Lindgren, Facilities dept.

Designated resources
Accessibility is a major focus for Uppsala University, as they aim to be the most advanced university in the world in the space. They’ve done a great job in making all auditoriums and facilities available for everyone to enjoy regardless of their needs. MazeMap has been a key system to illustrate where accessible resources are available, and to provide digital wayfinding for all user groups. Because this has been so important, Uppsala University has had a designated person to shape the MazeMap installation to support this perfectly. The result is that their MazeMap installation is completely up to date and accurate, providing a very smooth user experience. As with any IT system – the more effort you can afford to put in, the greater the value will be.

“I use it every day!” quote from a colleague to me.
“Because of our perspective of accessibility we understand how important every small detail can be for a user. A big effort to control functionality gives a better map for all users and contribute to our bigger numbers overall.” - Fredrik Lindgren, Facilities dept.