Evaluation of Integration Information Signage in Transport Hubs Based on Building Information Modeling and Virtual Reality Technologies

Abstract

Signage plays a crucial part in passengers’ wayfinding process. This research proposes a general method to optimize and evaluate different signage alternatives based on building information modeling (BIM), virtual reality (VR) technologies, and passengers’ wayfinding behaviors. A wayfinding experiment with 46 participants was conducted in a virtual environment. In this experiment, relevant measurements, including wayfinding time, wrong turns, and stopping and looking, were selected to describe wayfinding behaviors. The results showed that the evaluation outcome of the new integration information signage was better than that of the old one, with its wayfinding measurements decreasing to varying degrees. Overall, the new integration information-signage solution is more efficient in guiding passengers. Moreover, this general method of optimizing and evaluating signage alternatives with BIM and VR technologies is also suitable for other indoor spaces. Practitioner Summary: To evaluate the old and new integration information signage in transport hubs, a virtual reality experiment was conducted in this study based on the wayfinding theory and the TOPSIS comprehensive evaluation approach. The results showed that the new integration information signage solution was more efficient than the old one in guiding passengers.