Co-founder, Educational Researcher & Learning Designer
Dr Paul Symonds is co-founder of Symonds Research and a sociologist, educational researcher, and learning designer with over 20 years of experience in education and training.
He specializes in workplace learning, wayfinding theory, and designing accessible learning experiences for global organizations.
Paul draws on his experience in wayfinding research to shape how he designs training materials, aiming to make learning paths clearer and easier to follow.
Verification: Google Scholar | ORCID Profile
Expertise
- PhD in Wayfinding using Sociology
- Author of several academic publications
- 8+ years of experience working for the Department of Continuing Professional Education (now Lifelong Learning) at Cardiff University, UK
- 2 years of teaching experience at the Pagoda Institute, Seoul, Korea.
- 5 years of experience working with educational software for Interactive Services eLearning Ireland (a company now merged with LRN) and OD2 in England.
- Paul also studied for his undergraduate degree at Cardiff Metropolitan University and spent a semester on exchange at Haaga Institute in Finland, enriching his cross-cultural understanding of education.
- Paul has been involved in the field of education for over 22 years. Paul worked in Gangnam, South Korea, for two years teaching business professionals before earning a master’s degree in Computer-Based Information Systems (CBIS). Paul has also worked in eLearning design with Interactive Services in Ireland.
Academic Publications
Journal articles
- Your Guess is as Good as Mine: Finding Your Way on Board a Cruise Ship – J Fallon, P Symonds, VL Iacono. Interdisciplinary Journal of Signage and Wayfinding 3 (2), 12-20
- Wayfinding on Cruise Ships – Dr Symonds, Paul, Dr Lo Iacono, Valeria. Royal Geographical Society (RGS) Cruise Travel Conference
- Finding our way: a socio-cultural exploration of Wayfinding as an embodied experience – PA Symonds. Cardiff Metropolitan University
- Wayfinding Signage Considerations in International Airports – P Symonds. Interdisciplinary Journal of Signage and Wayfinding 1 (2), 60-80
- Exploring an Absent Presence: Wayfinding as an Embodied Sociocultural Experience – P Symonds, DHK Brown, V LoIacono. Sociological Research Online 22 (1), 5
- Skype as a tool for qualitative research interviews – V Lo Iacono, P Symonds, DHK Brown. Sociological Research Online 21 (2), 103-117.
- The complexities of human wayfinding in airports – P Symonds. Cardiff Metropolitan University: Cardiff, UK
Books
- Airport Wayfinding Manual, 2017. Symonds Research Publishing
eLearning Courses
Posts by Paul on Symonds Research
- What is the recognition gap in the workplace, and how can we utilize it?
- Guidance on how to manage a multigenerational workforce
- 12 Fun Management and Leadership activities for workplace training.
- The GROW model for coaching employees.
Interests and More About Me
I love to spend time doing fitness and playing sports where possible, when not studying new things related to wayfinding, employee training, and management techniques.
I try to do a 5k run every weekend, head to the cross-trainer in the gym every week, and have started doing yoga and Pilates (under pressure from my wife, Valeria).
I spend a lot of my working week involved with education and training as I have a passion for everything related to education and learning, because I think it keeps our brains active and I feel that learning is something we should always do.
