How individuals sense environments during indoor emergency wayfinding: An eye-tracking investigation

Abstract

Emergency wayfinding is a critical aspect of indoor evacuations. People typically rely on environmental cues to determine their location and navigate their way. However, there is limited exploration into how individuals perceive their surroundings during emergency wayfinding. Through a virtual reality (VR) controlled experiment integrated with eye-tracking, this study explores how individuals sense the environment during evacuations. Participants were immersed in a virtual scenario simulating a building fire and had to choose between Routes 1 and 2 at an intersection for evacuations. The experimental results show individuals' visual attention is positively related to their wayfinding choices. Specifically, familiarity has a significant influence on individuals' visual attention and route choices. Participants who were familiar with Route 2 before evacuations showed increased fixation frequency but smaller saccade velocity during evacuations, reducing their likelihood of detecting the exit sign at the intersection and using Route 1. Neighbor behavior influenced participants' visual information searching and route choices. When virtual neighbors evacuated via Route 1 at the intersection, participants gazed at Route 1 more and were also more likely to use it. The visibility of the exit door on Route 1 also affected both participants' visual attention and route choices. However, the change in emergency lighting did not significantly influence participants’ route choices or their visual attention to Route 1 and the exit sign. These findings enrich our knowledge of human emergency wayfinding and hold significant implications for enhancing building design and evacuation planning.