Wayfinding Performance Research Articles

Olfactory and visual vs. multimodal landmark processing in human wayfinding: a virtual reality experiment

ABSTRACT Recent studies suggest that the olfactory system is not as indiscriminative as previously thought. Odours can serve as useful landmark information. The current study explored recognition and wayfinding performance in 54 participants (52 at t2), who either received 18 unimodal (only visual or olfactory) or multimodal (visual-olfactory) landmark information during a learning phase in a virtual reality maze before finding their way through it. Recognition performance was assessed in a recognition task (18 targets, 18 distractors). The experiment was repeated after one month. As expected, participants showed poorer recognition performance if presented with odours compared to the other two conditions. But, recognition performance did not decline over time. Wayfinding performance was similar across all conditions. However, odours were the only condition with stable performance over time, possibly due to emotional mediation and deeper processing. Multimodal material added no value to wayfinding performance, supposedly due to higher cognitive load.

Cognitive Path Planning with Spatial Memory Distortion.

Human path-planning operates differently from deterministic AI-based path-planning algorithms due to the decay and distortion in a human's spatial memory and the lack of complete scene knowledge. Here, we present a cognitive model of path-planning that simulates human-like learning of unfamiliar environments, supports systematic degradation in spatial memory, and distorts spatial recall during path-planning. We propose a Dynamic Hierarchical Cognitive Graph (DHCG) representation to encode the environment structure by incorporating two critical spatial memory biases during exploration: categorical adjustment and \sequence order effect. We then extend the '`Fine-To-Coarse'' (FTC), the most prevalent path-planning heuristic, to incorporate spatial uncertainty during recall through the DHCG. We conducted a lab-based Virtual Reality (VR) experiment to validate the proposed cognitive path-planning model and made three observations: (1) a statistically significant impact of sequence order effect on participants' route-choices, (2) approximately three hierarchical levels in the DHCG according to participants' recall data, and (3) similar trajectories and significantly similar wayfinding performances between participants and simulated cognitive agents on identical path-planning tasks. Furthermore, we performed two detailed simulation experiments with different FTC variants on a Manhattan-style grid. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed cognitive path-planning model successfully produces human-like paths and can capture human wayfinding's complex and dynamic nature, which traditional AI-based path-planning algorithms cannot capture.

How pathways' configuration impacts wayfinding in young and older adults

Wayfinding capabilities stem from interactions between cognitive processes and environmental elements. Previous studies that have attempted to improve human wayfinding by architectural designs mainly focused on environmental cues for supporting landmark-based navigation. The current study, however, tests whether wayfinding can be improved by strengthening route learning. We hypothesized that relying on route-target associations is easier if each target is accessed via a specific route, rather than through several alternative paths. Accordingly, we predicted that in a star-shaped design of pathways in which the center of the star serves as the origin of the routes and the arms of the star host the destinations, it would be easier to form route-target associations, than in pathway configurations in the shape of a grid, wherein each target can be accessed via several paths. Furthermore, as older adults show selective impairments in landmark-based navigation, and tend to over-rely on route strategies, we hypothesized that star-shaped configurations will particularly support wayfinding in older adults. To test these hypotheses, younger (n = 68) and older (n = 60) adults performed a virtual-navigation task in an environment comprised of either a “grid” or “star” configuration of pathways. Our findings indicate that wayfinding performance in older adults was inferior to that of younger adults, regardless of the design. Yet, navigational performance in the star-shaped condition was better compared to the grid-shaped design, in both age-groups, proposing that star-shaped configurations of pathways strengthen route-based navigation. The findings therefore suggest that wayfinding could be improved through architectural designs that strengthen route-learning.

Cultural determinants of the gap between self-estimated navigation ability and wayfinding performance: evidence from 46 countries

Cognitive abilities can vary widely. Some people excel in certain skills, others struggle. However, not all those who describe themselves as gifted are. One possible influence on self-estimates is the surrounding culture. Some cultures may amplify self-assurance and others cultivate humility. Past research has shown that people in different countries can be grouped into a set of consistent cultural clusters with similar values and tendencies, such as attitudes to masculinity or individualism. Here we explored whether such cultural dimensions might relate to the extent to which populations in 46 countries overestimate or underestimate their cognitive abilities in the domain of spatial navigation. Using the Sea Hero Quest navigation test and a large sample (N = 383,187) we found cultural clusters of countries tend to be similar in how they self-rate ability relative to their actual performance. Across the world population sampled, higher self-ratings were associated with better performance. However, at the national level, higher self-ratings as a nation were not associated with better performance as a nation. Germanic and Near East countries were found to be most overconfident in their abilities and Nordic countries to be most under-confident in their abilities. Gender stereotypes may play a role in mediating this pattern, with larger national positive attitudes to male stereotyped roles (Hofstede's masculinity dimension) associated with a greater overconfidence in performance at the national level. We also replicate, with higher precision than prior studies, evidence that older men tend to overestimate their navigation skill more than other groups. These findings give insight into how culture and demographics may impact self-estimates of our abilities.

Evaluating building wayfinding performance in healthcare environment: a novel hybrid decision-making model

The goal of this study is maintained as the process of establishing and validating an evidence-based approach for assessing the quality of hospital’s wayfinding from an environmental standpoint and creating an evaluation tool for the building’s wayfinding performance (WP). To do this, the integrated Multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) technique was utilized to examine the independent linkages between users’ movement dynamics based on Factor Analysis and the D-ANP (Decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) based Analytical Network Process (ANP)) method. In this regard, experts gave each model’s variable a weight and a significant value. Thus, findings show that experts classified sixteen indicators into three dimensions in the proposed model: physical data (with 50% influence on building wayfinding (BW)), environmental representation data (with 33% influence on BW), and symbolic data of the environment (17% influence on BW). In validating the scheme, the findings met the case criteria, demonstrating tool’s practical feasibility.

Human decision change in crowd evacuation: A virtual reality-based study

In complex building evacuations, continuous decision-making is unavoidable to make a sequence of route choices at intersections. Evacuees can change their initial decisions with the environmental context changes to deal with the uncertainties of the evacuation. However, this decision-changing phenomenon in evacuation wayfinding has not been well explained. Therefore, this study investigates the decision-changing behavior in crowd evacuation. The influence of two typical crowd flow modes (i.e., symmetric split and asymmetric split crowd flow) on human decision changes in evacuation wayfinding is explored. The results show that evacuees are likely to change their initial route choice decision under the influence of crowd flows, and asymmetric crowd flow significantly reinforces this trend. Moreover, crowd flow modes significantly affected participants' wayfinding performance, including evacuation time, distance, and speed. This study provides behavioral observations and empirical evidence of the persistent effects of crowd flows on evacuees' wayfinding decisions changing and performance during the evacuation.

Subway passengers’ wayfinding behaviors when exposed to signage: An experimental study in virtual reality with eye-tracker

This study aimed to examine differences in the development of spatial knowledge under normal and pressure conditions, as well as differences in the use of signage. To this end, a virtual reality environment of a subway station was developed. We conducted a wayfinding experiment in the environment using a headset device with an eye-tracker. The wayfinding performance and eye-tracking data from 48 participants were recorded and analyzed. The results indicated that spatial knowledge was less grasped under pressure than in normal conditions. Despite the particular diversity across wayfinding conditions, we found a higher reliance on signage among first-time participants. Still, this effect was not significant at landmarks. And the importance of signs near the starting point for route selection was also reported. This study is helpful for understanding the differences in wayfinding and signage use across conditions and provides recommendations for signage design and emergency capacity promotion.

The value of large-scale studies of sleep and cognition

Large-scale, global studies providing representative characterisation of sleep and its relation to cognitive performance are rare. In a recent study using a video game to assess spatial navigation, Coutrot and colleagues found that, among participants aged 54-70 years, optimal wayfinding performance was associated with a self-reported sleep duration of 7 h. The results also showed that, while the effects of age and gender on sleep duration were consistent across countries, geography and/or culture significantly modulated sleep duration, a finding that merits further study.

Impact of AR Navigation Display Methods on Wayfinding Performance and Spatial Knowledge Acquisition

With the development of augmented reality (AR) technology, AR navigation tools have gradually received increasing attention. Few previous studies have comprehensively discussed the advantages and disadvantages of AR and 2D maps from a spatial cognition perspective. Through three experiments, this article investigated the effects of different AR navigation display methods on wayfinding performance and spatial knowledge acquisition. First, we compared participants’ performances in using AR and 2D map navigation aids for wayfinding and spatial knowledge tasks. Second, we developed a combined map and compared the usability of this map with that of an AR map. Then, we applied the focus + context technique to improve the combined map’s minimap and verified the improved map’s effectiveness by laboratory simulation. The AR map is superior to the 2D map in acquiring spatial knowledge. AR displays are crucial for helping individuals acquire landmark and route knowledge. The improved map expands the range of exocentric spatial information and highlights the landmark locations to provide comprehensive information about the environment; thus, the improved map can further assist in acquiring spatial knowledge.

Assessment of Wayfinding Performance in Complex Healthcare Facilities: A Conceptual Framework

Wayfinding is considered to be one of the most demanding challenges to be performed by hospitals’ users. Wayfinding has been an interest among researchers from different fields, such as architecture, interior design, cognitive psychology, and facilities management, to name a few. Previous scholars have highlighted the need for a holistic framework taking into consideration both user and environmental factors. A narrative review of the literature was carried out to understand the full extent of the issue and address the ever-increasing demand for a holistic assessment framework. This article attempts to address the underlying gap by proposing a comprehensive framework that takes into account both facets of the issue through a narrative review of the literature to some of the most prominent research attempts to address the problem of wayfinding in complex healthcare settings. Furthermore, the proposed framework can assist both researchers and practicing professionals by providing a comprehensive understanding of the issue of complex wayfinding as well as of the variables to be investigated in the assessment process.

Cross-cultural assessment of the effect of spatial information on firefighters’ wayfinding performance: A virtual reality-based study

When firefighters conduct search and rescue operations during building fire emergencies, effective wayfinding plays a critical role in protecting them from disorientation and improving the efficiency of their operations. However, whether and how different cultural backgrounds affect firefighters' acquisition and utilization of spatial knowledge during wayfinding tasks has not been comprehensively explored. To narrow this knowledge gap, we conducted a virtual reality-based search and rescue experiment with a 4 (spatial information type: control, landmark, route, and survey condition) × 2 (culture: the US and China) mixed factorial design. For each trial, firefighters were required to find three trapped victims in a virtual office maze within 3 min after a 3-min review of a certain type of spatial information. The wayfinding performance metrics (number of victims found, rescue score, distance to the goal path), direction decision-making strategy, and cognitive load of 62 firefighter participants were measured and analyzed. The results indicated that spatial information type, culture, and the interaction influence between them all significantly affected the firefighters' wayfinding performance. We found that the route and survey information contributed to firefighters' wayfinding performance with different degrees of influence on the US and Chinese firefighters; whereas the landmark information increased firefighters’ cognitive load and impaired their wayfinding performance. We also found that the acquisition and utilization process of spatial information for navigation varied among different cultures. The findings of this study are expected to help develop better training strategies for firefighters, as well as improve their safety and efficiency during search and rescue operations.

Episodic memory integration shapes value-based decision-making in spatial navigation.

Valued-based decision-making has been studied for decades in myriad topics such as consumer spending and gambling, but very rarely in spatial navigation despite the link between the two being highly relevant to survival. Furthermore, how people integrate episodic memories, and what factors are related to the extent of memory integration in value-based decision-making, remain largely unknown. In the current study, participants learned locations of various objects in a virtual environment and then decided whether to reach goal objects from familiar starting locations or unpredictable ones, with different penalties associated with each option. We developed computational models to test whether, when given an object to find, participants' starting location decisions reflected their past performance specific to that goal (Target-specific model) or integrated memory from performance with all goals in the environment (Target-common model). Because participants' wayfinding performance improved throughout the experiment, we were able to examine what factors related to the generalization of past experience. We found that most participants' decisions were better fit by the Target-common model, and for the people whose decisions were better fit by the Target-common model this integrative tendency may be tied to their concurrently greater performance variability with individual targets. Moreover, greater success on our task was predicted by an interaction between the ability to estimate probabilities relevant to decision-making and self-report general task ability. Collectively, our results show how related navigational episodic memories can be reflected in decision-making, and uncover individual differences contributing to such processes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Neural Basis Analysis of Firefighters’ Wayfinding Performance via Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

Neural Basis Analysis of Firefighters’ Wayfinding Performance via Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

Investigating the Influences of Healthcare Facility Features on Wayfinding Performance and Associated Stress Using Virtual Reality.

This study examined the influences of healthcare facility interior features on users' wayfinding performance and the relationship between stress and wayfinding. General hospitals in China always present significant wayfinding problems due to their sizes and complexity. Poor wayfinding often leads to a frustrating and stressful user experience. It has not been fully understood how hospital indoor features affect wayfinding and whether an individual's stress levels are associated with wayfinding performance. We conducted an experiment in which 117 college students, aged 18-33 (M = 21.88, SD = 3.01), performed two tasks in virtual reality environments of outpatient clinics. Stress (skin conductance response) and wayfinding performance (distance ratio and time ratio) were measured. Participants' sense of orientation, navigation ability, distance estimation, and spatial anxiety were captured by a survey. Male participants reported a significantly better sense of orientation and less spatial anxiety than females. Participants' stress levels were lower with outdoor window views compared to those without outdoor views. With more environmental features (landmarks and outdoor window views) added to the environments, participants showed significantly better wayfinding performance. No significant relationship was found between wayfinding performance and participants' stress levels in this study. While individual environmental factors might not have a significant influence, combining multiple elements such as window views and landmarks could lead to better wayfinding performance. More research is needed to examine the relationship between stress and wayfinding.

How Guidance Signage Design Influences Passengers’ Wayfinding Performance in Metro Stations: Case Study of a Virtual Reality Experiment

Well-designed guidance signage plays a significant role in the metro environment, ensuring that passengers can reach their destination quickly without anxiety and stress. At present, most metro stations in China use vertical guidance signage (hanging on the walls), which can easily cause misunderstandings in conveying information. Horizontal guidance signage (horizontally attached to the ground) with visual continuity has not yet been used. To explore the influence of different signage designs (vertical, horizontal, and mixed) on passengers’ wayfinding performance, this research utilized virtual reality (VR) technology to develop a VR environment based on a metro station in Nanjing, China. Thirty-six volunteers were randomly divided into six groups based on two variables (guidance signage design and density of passengers), and participated in the wayfinding experiment. During the experiment, three types of wayfinding performance measurements were collected and analyzed (subjective: the difference in the pressure of the wayfinding environment on the participants; objective: participants’ average speed, number of pauses, and the selection of infrastructure; systematic: ratings of affordance indicators). The results revealed that the mixed (vertical + horizontal) signage performed best, and different guidance signage designs affect passengers’ perception of environmental pressure, decision-making on the use of public infrastructures (stairs), and the number of pauses.

Cognitive characteristics in firefighter wayfinding Tasks: An Eye-Tracking analysis

During search and rescue, firefighters need to find paths in an unfamiliar space with minimum time and information available. The effective memorization and retrieval of critical spatial information can help reduce risks and increase mission efficiency. Although evidence has shown that different formats of wayfinding information, including landmarks, routes, and surveys, can impact search and rescue performance in different manners, a deeper understanding of the characteristics of firefighters’ cognitive processes related to the varying wayfinding information formats is less explored. To evaluate firefighters’ performance and cognitive characteristics in search and rescue, a firefighter experiment in Virtual Reality (VR) was conducted. Firefighters (n = 40) were recruited to participate in the simulated rescue task. After reviewing the spatial information in different formats, firefighters were requested to find three victims inside a VR maze as quickly as possible. Task performance was evaluated by the number of victims found and the time spent. Firefighters’ gaze patterns were analyzed to evaluate their cognitive status. The result showed that although the cognitive load under the survey and route conditions was significantly higher than under the landmark condition (p < 0.001), the decision-making involved a more effective cognitive process related to choosing the right path at critical waypoints such as where a turning decision must be made. Thus, the perceived workload and fatigue levels of the two conditions were lower, and the wayfinding performance was better. In contrast, with landmark information, the cognitive load levels were consistently high, along with increased mental fatigue.The findings reveal a series of cognitive features related to a more effective spatial decision-making in search and rescue. In the future, it is expected that these cognitive features can be used to develop real-time monitoring and prediction models for wayfinding performance.

“Everything looks the same”: wayfinding behaviour and experiences of stroke inpatients in rehabilitation clinics

ABSTRACT Purpose To examine stroke inpatients’ real-life wayfinding behaviour and how the built environment of rehabilitation clinics might influence their behaviour and experiences. Methods Stroke inpatients in seven rehabilitation clinics were observed (n = 70), each over the course of 12 consecutive hours. Their paths through the clinic and the locations of encountered wayfinding-related events were mapped on the floor plans and described in the written notes. The observations were supplemented by a survey asking patients about their wayfinding experiences. Results For a third of observed patients, at least one wayfinding-related event was observed on the observation day, and 50% of patients reported getting lost in their clinic at least once. Most wayfinding-related events occurred between patient rooms and therapy rooms, and patients frequently relied on backtracking or the help of the staff to find their way. Clinics’ layout organization was found to play a role in the wayfinding behaviour of patients. Conclusions Wayfinding is a common challenge that stroke inpatients encounter in rehabilitation clinics. Avoiding multiple decision nodes on the paths between patient rooms and therapy rooms and creating distinct identities for corridor segments in the decision nodes and the areas in front of elevators would likely improve wayfinding performance.

Enhancing Wayfinding Performance in Existing Healthcare Facilities Using Virtual Reality Environments to Revise the Distribution of Way-Showing Devices

Wayfinding is the process of navigating the environment by using the available environmental cues. The issue of wayfinding difficulty in large healthcare facilities has grabbed the attention of many researchers in terms of its potential taxing effects on both users and institutions alike. While the challenge of regulating the process of designing wayfinding systems is still an active field of investigation, there has been a paucity of research addressing the challenge of distributing way-showing items based on users’ performance within healthcare environments. This study proposes a wayfinding enhancement scheme whereby users’ wayfinding performance data forms the basis of the process of distributing way-showing items within an outpatient unit in Malaysia. Furthermore, two virtual reality experiments were carried out, the first representing the existing wayfinding system and the second representing the new distribution. A cross-comparison between the two sets of results was conducted to evaluate the effect resulting from altering the as-built wayfinding system. The results indicated an overall reduction of time consumed to reach the same destinations as well as lesser distances traveled within the environment resulting from the implementation of the new distribution. This study puts forward the concept of implementing virtual reality environments to address wayfinding systems’ design challenges in healthcare facilities rather than relying on designers’ intuition.

Proficiency of allocentric and egocentric wayfinding: a comparison of schoolchildren with young adults and older adults

AbstractWayfinding skills decay in old age, more so for wayfinding in an allocentric than an egocentric reference frame. This study investigates whether wayfinding deficits of schoolchildren mimic those of older adults. Schoolchildren were tested on two wayfinding tasks: one could only be mastered in an allocentric, and the other only in an egocentric reference frame. The results were compared with those from a previous study of young and older adults who had been tested on the same two wayfinding tasks. It was found that wayfinding performance improved somewhat from school age to young adulthood and that this improvement proceeded more or less in parallel for the allocentric and the egocentric tasks. It was further found that wayfinding performance decayed from young to older adulthood and that this decay was more dramatic for the allocentric than for the egocentric task. This pattern of findings does not support the hypothesis that the wayfinding performance of schoolchildren mimics that of older adults.

Evaluating Building Wayfinding Performance in Healthcare Environment: A Novel Hybrid Mcdm Model Based on Factor Analysis, Dematel, and Anp

Evaluating Building Wayfinding Performance in Healthcare Environment: A Novel Hybrid Mcdm Model Based on Factor Analysis, Dematel, and Anp