Wayfinding encompasses all the ways people orient themselves in physical space and navigate from place to place. Effective wayfinding is what transforms personal exploration into an experience that’s clear, enriching, and deeply engaging.
As travelers and visitors increasingly seek flexible, tech-enabled experiences, the self-guided tour market is rapidly expanding, projected to grow from $1.5 billion in 2023 to $4.8 billion by 2031.
Self-guided tours empower visitors to explore at their own pace, return to points of interest, and engage on their own terms, all while helping organizations reduce administrative costs and extend their reach.
But for these tours to be truly effective, navigation must be clear. Visitors should feel confident moving from stop to stop, accessing content naturally and without confusion, and discovering insights without missing a beat.
At STQRY, we help cultural institutions, universities and schools, gardens and parks, tourism attractions, local governments, destination partners, tour operators, and digital content creators design self-guided experiences that are intuitive, engaging, and accessible.
In this blog, we’ll explore three distinctive approaches to tour navigation, powered by STQRY, and show how each enhances the visitor experience:
- Taliesin: Virtual exploration with 360° views and directional hotspots
- Bike Grand Canyon: Hands-free audio guidance for riders in motion
- Jackie Robinson Museum: Layered support with maps, written cues, and audio
No matter your space, your audience, or your storytelling goals, STQRY offers the tools to help people find their way and connect more deeply with every step of the journey.
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1. Taliesin: Immersive Exploration with 360° Wayfinding
Set in Spring Green, Wisconsin, Taliesin is the former home and studio of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, it draws architecture lovers from around the world to explore Wright’s vision, philosophy, and design legacy across an 800-acre estate. (Fun fact: Tailiesin Preservation has been offering tours since 1993.)
Pro-Tip: This 45-90 minute tour begins with a helpful video tutorial that demonstrates how to navigate the experience and move between stops with ease.
The STQRY-powered digital tour uses 360° panoramic captures layered with interactive hotspots and directional arrows to help users navigate the estate virtually. Whether exploring the drafting studio or living quarters, users can immerse themselves in architectural details and spatial storytelling at their own pace.
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2. Bike Grand Canyon: Wayfinding on Two Wheels
Located just steps from the South Rim’s most iconic viewpoints, Canyon Adventures Bike Tours & Café is the only bike shop inside Grand Canyon National Park. Conveniently situated next to the Visitor Center at Mather Point, it offers visitors immediate access to rim-side bicycle paths and paved greenways—no shuttle required.
To help riders explore confidently and independently, the STQRY-powered Bike Grand Canyon app serves as a GPS-based personal guide. Designed for safety and ease of use, the app delivers location-triggered audio narration with turn-by-turn directions, park insights, and safety reminders, without needing to stop or glance at a screen.
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Choose Your Route
The Bike Grand Canyon app offers multiple self-guided tour options to suit different fitness levels, timeframes, and interests.
- The Yellow Route is a longer, more challenging 21-mile ride with 14 scenic stops along Hermit Road, which is closed to public traffic and known for its spectacular canyon views.
- The Orange Route is a shorter, 7-mile round-trip ideal for a relaxed ride along paved greenways and east-side overlooks.
Each route begins with clear starting instructions, safety tips, and helpful information about what to expect. Along the way, riders can stop and uncover overlooks, picnic areas, historic sites, wildlife sightings, and well-placed rest stops—all supported by GPS-triggered narration and rich multimedia content covering geology, Indigenous history, and conservation.
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3. Jackie Robinson Museum: Layered Guidance for a Richer Journey
Located on Varick Street in Manhattan, the Jackie Robinson Museum honors the life and legacy of the barrier-breaking athlete, activist, and humanitarian. The museum offers an immersive, story-rich experience that takes visitors through Robinson’s impact on sports, civil rights, and American history.
With 17 stops spanning approximately 2 miles, the 90-minute route immerses visitors in the streets, sites, and stories that shaped—and were shaped by—Jackie Robinson.
Starting at Jackie Robinson Park, the STQRY-powered walking tour combines audio narration, written guidance, multimedia content, and map support to guide users block by block. Stories are brought to life by narrator Andia Winslow, with quotes read by Zeus Campbell and David Robinson.
Navigation is made simple:
- Step-by-step directions between stops
- Tips to identify nearby landmarks
- An interactive map icon at the bottom of the screen
- Optional location-based audio autoplay
- A “Next” button at each stop for easy progression
All content is also available in Spanish, making it more inclusive and accessible for a broader audience.
Whether users prefer reading, listening, or viewing, the STQRY experience adapts to every walking pace and learning style, bringing history to life.
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Takeaways: How to Design Better Self-Guided Tours with STQRY
- Use built-in wayfinding tools like GPS-triggered audio, directional arrows, and map icons to guide visitors with confidence.
- Support accessibility with language options, safety tips, and alternate routes for different abilities and schedules.
- Start with clarity: Each tour highlighted above includes a clear intro, what to expect, and a well-marked path forward, setting the tone for a great experience.
Ready to Build a Self-Guided Tour That’s Easy to Follow and Hard to Forget?
STQRY’s flexible platform is designed to meet you where you are—whether you’re launching a new tour or elevating an existing one. With tools for geofencing, rich media, QR code access, turn-by-turn directions, and multilingual audio, we make it easy to guide your visitors every step of the way.
Curious how STQRY can support your next self-guided tour?
Contact our team or visit our Help Article to get started today.