Wayfinding Strategies Research Articles

A large language model-based agent for wayfinding: simulation of spatial perception and memory

ABSTRACT Using agents to simulate human wayfinding processes helps to understand human decision-making and spatial cognition. The performance of large language models (LLMs) in agent-based wayfinding is still unclear. To address this, this study harnessed the thinking and reasoning capabilities of LLMs by designing an agent wayfinding framework based on cellular automata. This framework provides environmental descriptions in text form to the LLMs, enabling them to perceive the wayfinding environment and navigate within it. We simulated different spatial memory conditions for the LLM, including three types of spatial memories and one condition with no spatial memory, to observe its wayfinding behavior in a real-world setting. Multiple experiments were designed to compare the wayfinding performance of the LLM under different spatial memories, and 32 human participants conducted the same wayfinding experiments for reference. The results indicate that the LLM autonomously explores the environment and displays spatial reasoning abilities similar to humans. Furthermore, the LLM can develop reasonable wayfinding strategies to complete the tasks. This framework allows agents with different spatial memories to accurately reach their destinations. This research provides new ideas for utilizing large language models to construct more intelligent, efficient, and flexible wayfinding agents, which can help advance the application of agent technology in fields such as navigation and robotics.

Application of Wayfinding Principles in the Design of Nigerian Immigration Service Command’s Office Complex in Bauchi State, Nigeria

This paper explores the application of wayfinding principles in the proposed design of the Nigeria Immigration Service Command Office Complex in Durum, Bauchi State. Wayfinding principles aim to enhance navigation and spatial orientation within built environments. It investigates how effective wayfinding systems can enhance user experience, improve navigation efficiency, and support the operational needs of the complex. The research aims to identify specific wayfinding strategies tailored to the unique requirements of the Nigeria Immigration Service, considering cultural, environmental, and functional factors. The study adopted a qualitative research approach, involving a literature review and a case study of the Nigeria Immigration Service Command Office Complex. The findings will provide valuable insights for architects and planners in creating intuitive and accessible public service buildings in Nigeria by incorporating various wayfinding principles, including clear signage, distinct landmarks, and intuitive circulation paths. However, some areas for improvement were identified, such as the need for more prominent signage and enhanced visual differentiation between different sections of the complex. The study concludes that the intentional application of wayfinding principles can significantly enhance the usability and navigability of public buildings like the proposed Nigeria Immigration Service Command Office Complex, Durum, Bauchi.

The Impact of Biophilic Design on Cognitive Map Performance: A Case Study on Girls Primary Public Schools in Bahrain

Previous studies have demonstrated a positive relationship between biophilic design strategies and cognitivefunction. However, similar effects on primary schools, the main space influencing children's spatial perception,have yet to be explored. The study adopts qualitative and quantitative approaches to investigate the impact ofbiophilic design attributes on children's cognitive performance, aiming to improve wayfinding strategies in primaryschools in Bahrain. While the interviews with boys and girls from different schools assisted in defining the studyarea and children's gender, an expert in school design shed light on wayfinding parameters used in Bahrain. Thecognitive map drawings collected from 67 girls between 9 and 11 allowed the study to determine thecharacteristics that influence girls' spatial perception. The study findings demonstrate the potential of eachbiophilic design attribute as an opportunity to design future primary schools in Bahrain that provide healthy andsustainable spaces for children to thrive and develop.

Routes with roots: Pedestrian route choices and sense of place of an urban university community

Understanding how people choose routes in urban environments is essential for effective urban planning. While conventional transportation studies focus on utilitarian decision-making, this research investigates the complex interplay between human-environment interactions and emotional attachments to places, which influence transportation choices. Specifically, we examine the impact of sense of place in pedestrian route choice within a densely populated urban university community. Unlike typical urban settings characterized by clear roads and landmarks, university environments often feature intricate layouts with diffuse pathways, shared spaces, and a lack of clear spatial hierarchies. This complexity challenges conventional spatial knowledge acquisition methods. Individuals navigating such environments tend to rely on socio-sensory wayfinding strategies, developing emotional connections to specific places and routes over time. Consequently, route choices in these contexts may not always be deliberate but rather subconscious and nuanced. Our study focuses on elucidating the impact of the sense of place—a composite of conscious and subconscious perceptions, emotions, and attachments to a location—on daily route decisions. Through structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis, we demonstrate that the sense of place significantly influences route choices within community building complexes, surpassing utilitarian considerations as a primary explanatory factor. These findings underscore the importance of emotional and psychological factors in shaping urban route decisions, offering valuable insights for urban planning and management strategies.

Interplay of wayfinding strategies in route repetition and route retracing.

This study explores the interplay of navigation strategies in route repetition (repeating a recently travelled route) and route retracing (returning to the start location of a recently travelled route). Specifically, we investigated how sequence knowledge contributes to route repetition and retracing. In the learning phase, participants passively transported along a route. In the test phase, they were then asked to repeat or retrace the route. Decision points were either presented in an order coherent with the learning phase (from start to destination in route repetition, or from destination to start in route retracing), or in a randomised order. As expected, participants performed better in route repetition than in route retracing. Performance declined when intersections were presented in a randomised order indicating that sequence knowledge contributed to route repetition and route retracing. Presenting intersections in an order coherent with learning boosted performance specifically on the first part of the route during route repetition. This effect was not observed during route retracing. These results show that sequence knowledge is utilised differently during route repetition and retracing. We argue that participants use a "sequence of turns" strategy alongside associating landmarks with direction changes during route repetition, and that it is unlikely that route retracing relies on the same type of sequence knowledge. Instead, we believe route retracing utilises knowledge about the sequence in which decision points are encountered. Overall, the findings highlight a complex interplay of different strategies in route repetition and retracing, shedding light on how navigators utilise sequence knowledge for effective navigation.

The role of strategic visibility in shaping wayfinding behavior in multilevel buildings

In this paper, we explore the mutual effect of prior background expectations and visibility afforded by the 3D configuration of the physical environment on wayfinding efficiency and strategy in multilevel buildings. We perform new analyses on data from 149 participants who performed six unaided and directed wayfinding tasks in virtual buildings with varying degrees of visibility. Our findings reveal that the interaction between visibility and prior background expectations significantly affects wayfinding efficiency and strategy during between-floor wayfinding tasks. We termed this interaction effect strategic visibility, which emphasizes the importance of the strategic allocation of visibility towards actionable building elements in promoting efficient wayfinding and shaping wayfinding strategy. Our study highlights the significance of strategic visibility in promoting inclusive and accessible built environments for neurodiversity. Finally, we provide an open-source dataset that can be used to develop and test new wayfinding theories and models to advance research in the emerging field of human-building interaction.

The effect of verbal instructions while using digital indoor wayfinding devices on gender, performance, and self-reported strategies

Studies indicate that verbal instructions may impact associations between gender and wayfinding performance (measured via relative direction pointing accuracy and walking pace). Following the increasing use of digital navigation applications in indoor environments, and their implications on acquiring and processing spatial information, the aim of this study is to evaluate the stability of previously established associations. The study included 34 participants (16 females) aged 24–34 and was conducted in an indoor hospital setting. In addition to using a navigation application, one of three types of verbal instructions (route, survey, or none) were given in each wayfinding scenario. Self-reported wayfinding strategies were also assessed. The findings indicate that male participants made fewer pointing accuracy errors and walked faster than females, regardless of the type of instructions given, implying that the impact of naturally employed wayfinding strategies by gender (route for females; survey for males) on wayfinding performance may be more dominant than that of navigational devices. In addition, when males and females were exposed to their unnatural wayfinding strategy, no significant differences were seen in either group's self-reported wayfinding strategies. These findings may suggest that applying survey knowledge to females may improve their indoor wayfinding.

Wayfinding Strategies and Sense of Direction in Local Environment: Exploring Gender Differences

Navigation is a fundamental human behaviour and studies reported that males and females differ (favouring males) in their navigating abilities, strategies, and performance in locating targets either on the map or computer-based simulated tasks (Malinowski, 2001; Astur, Ortiz & Sutherland, 1998). At the same time, few studies reported no gender differences when landmarks were consistently present throughout the task of finding the route to the destination in the building. Studies on way-finding strategies found that males and females differ in their orientation strategies, where males preferentially use survey orientation strategies with an emphasis on distances, vectors, and cardinal directions (e.g. north, west) and Females, on the other hand, are in more favour of route based strategies using topographical features including landmarks and relative directions. Keeping in view, the present study is aimed to explore gender differences in wayfinding strategies. A total of 112 (53 male and 59 female) students (mean age 19.68 years and age range from 17 to 24 years) enrolled in the graduate course in different colleges of Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University, Bhagalpur participated in the present study. Independent t-test showed significant gender differences in two different wayfinding strategies favouring males, suggesting that males use route and orientation strategies better than females depending upon context.

Individualization in Spatial Behaviour and Map Reading

Abstract. For a long time, research has investigated spatial behaviour of people in navigation research and identified different wayfinding strategies. Researchers agree, that the environment with its structure and features influences the wayfinding strategies. The present paper presents a tool to investigate people’s strategies during navigation tasks. GeoGami, an educational geogame fostering navigational map reading skills, can be used to collect trajectories of people navigating through an environment. We developed a semantically annotated representation of the environment and clustered the resulting trajectories according to their spatio-temporal and semantic similarity. The result shows the existence of groups of common spatial patterns along with individual spatial behaviours that cannot be grouped into a cluster.

Wayfinding Whilst Driving, Age and Cognitive Functioning

Older drivers are more likely to have difficulty wayfinding in unfamiliar areas than younger people. The present study investigated the role of cognitive functioning and age on wayfinding difficulties and driving performance whilst driving in unfamiliar areas. Forty-seven participants aged between 21 and 82 years completed a wayfinding task in a driving simulator and a battery of neuropsychological tests. Older age was related to reduced driving speed and increased time stopped during the drive. Cognitive variables associated with wayfinding difficulties and driving performance decrements included processing speed, visuospatial ability, and aspects of memory, including verbal and visual immediate and delayed recall. This research suggests that older drivers, particularly those with poorer cognitive functioning, had more difficulty with wayfinding in unfamiliar areas than younger drivers. The findings are discussed with reference to potential safety and mobility benefits of alternative wayfinding strategies.

How does spatial cognitive style affect indoor fire evacuation wayfinding in mobile virtual reality?

ABSTRACT In emergency situations such as fire evacuation, indoor wayfinding is a complex and challenging task that is closely related to spatial cognition and spatial ability. This study discusses the indoor wayfinding ability of evacuees from the perspective of spatial cognitive style. Spatial cognitive style can be divided into: landmark, route, survey (ordered from low to high). We measured the spatial cognitive style of participants, created a realistic virtual scene with a LiDAR scanner, and finally captured real behavior data using mobile virtual reality. The results show that people with a survey style can better extract information from an evacuation map and use it correctly, and they have a stronger sense of direction and cognition of the evacuation scene. People with a route or landmark style rely more on evacuation signs and following others to find their way and are more likely to lose their way in an emergency. These findings are helpful to explain the differences in wayfinding strategies and escape results of people in a fire evacuation.

PERANCANGAN 2D SISTEM EGD SEBAGAI UPAYA PENINGKATAN EFEKTIVITAS WAYFINDING DAN SIGNAGE PADA KAWASAN KANTIN PUSAT ITS

The ITS Central Canteen is one of the facilities for ITS students and the general public which is located on Jalan Mechanical Engineering ITS no. 173, Keputih, Sukolilo District, Surabaya City. After being closed due to COVID-19, the ITS Canteen was reopened with updates to improve quality and ensure student comfort. One of the updates is Signage & Wayfinding which is used as a guide to help users achieve their goals, not only that they can be used to increase the design value and aesthetics of the place used. The ITS canteen has provided a form of signage & wayfinding which is estimated to be sufficient for students' needs, but there are obstacles that are felt not only by students but also by ITS canteen management as example, such as complaints regarding directions to the toilet area, use of the reservation room, and regulations regarding the obligation to tidy up the table after used. This study aims to provide the right signage & wayfinding strategy so that it can function and is attractive to look at. The methods used to obtain appropriate data are observation, interviews and documentation. By visiting the location directly, you can do these three methods easily.

Individual wayfinding decisions under stress in indoor emergency situations: A theoretical framework and meta-analysis

Individual wayfinding decisions are critical for evacuation efficiency in building emergencies. By synthesizing the increasing volume of relevant literature, this study proposes a theoretical framework for individual wayfinding decisions in building emergencies. Consisting of four modules of cognitive processes and a module of acute stress, the framework formalizes the relationships between different aspects contributing to observed evacuation wayfinding behavior by integrating the impacts of acute stress with the knowledge about indoor wayfinding in normal conditions. The existing literature on individual wayfinding decisions in indoor emergencies is organized with reference to the theoretical framework to identify the overlaps, contradictions and refinements. In addition, two meta-analyses are conducted to validate this framework. The meta-analyses results indicate that the likelihood of people choosing the exit indicated by (enhanced) signage or choice of the majority of surrounding people is over 18 times higher than that of other exits. The results also show that the controlled conflicting information provided for other exits has a negative moderator effect. The proposed theoretical framework is the first step towards developing an individual wayfinding decision theory in indoor emergencies. Implications of the proposed theoretical framework, and directions for future research, particularly related to wayfinding goals, assessment of wayfinding progress, and wayfinding strategies within the proposed framework, are also discussed in the paper.

On The 3D VR Simulated Rubik’s Cube Game for Smart Pads

In this study, interface designs of a VR 3D-simulated Rubik’s Cube game were developed and evaluated. A 2 × 2 × 2 mixed-design ANOVA was executed, with age (younger adult/older adult), interface (arrow/intuitive), and task complexity (easy, a single symmetrical task/difficult, a bio-symmetrical task) experimental design. The first three factors were between-subject designs while the latter was a within-subject design. The dependent variable was the percentage of the task performance and wayfinding questionnaire. The collected experimental data were analyzed by regression method to clarify the correlation among age, interface, task complexity, and wayfinding strategy. There were 96 subjects in the experiment, including 48 younger adults (aged from 18~22) and 48 older adults (aged from 60~85). The experimental results and statistical analysis showed that the task difficulty had a significant effect on task performance in the 3D VR Rubik’s Cube game. For the smart pad, the arrow interface was significantly more effective than the intuitive interface. The theoretical model regression analysis of the task complexity, interface, and wayfinding strategy was shown to be significant. Results showed that users may be affected either positively or negatively by the wayfinding strategy, as a higher score on familiarity indicates better VR game task performance, whereas for the usual spatial behavior wayfinding strategy, the opposite result was found for memory. These results can be used to assess VR game interface designs, taking into consideration age difference, task complexity, experiential self-report on 3D VR games, and including VR rotation navigational

Wayfinding strategies guide mobile commerce in sharing economy development

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to integrate wayfinding strategies and open innovation to examine the factors of mobile application (M-App) design.Design/methodology/approachThe study formulated an M-App model from the wayfinding sense-making and open innovation perspective. Samples were collected from the M-Apps users of Airbnb.com in a survey based on the principle of snowball sampling, and 416 samples were returned in total. The hypothesis testing of the model was conducted using structural equation modeling with Linear Structural Relations.FindingsThe operators of the lodging industry should design the recommended route on the M-Apps for tourists to reach the accommodation on the map function conveniently.Practical implicationsThe orientation of wayfinding sense-making integrates the accommodation host to mark the direction of the accommodation on the map function of M-Apps to indicate the direction of the location.Social implicationsThe operators of the lodging industry should design the recommended route on the M-Apps for tourists to conveniently reach the accommodation on the map function.Originality/valueFor the M-Apps designer of the lodging industry, devising the function with an arrow point on the map would enable tourists to check their current location handily. Moreover, the M-Apps of lodging businesses can reduce marketing expenses from the high recommendations of tourists.

Understanding Differences in Wayfinding Strategies.

Navigating to goal locations in a known environment (wayfinding) can be accomplished by different strategies, notably by taking habitual, well-learned routes (response strategy) or by inferring novel paths, such as shortcuts, from spatial knowledge of the environment's layout (place strategy). Human and animal neuroscience studies reveal that these strategies reflect different brain systems, with response strategies relying more on activation of the striatum and place strategies associated with activation of the hippocampus. In addition to individual differences in strategy, recent behavioral studies show sex differences such that men use place strategies more than women, and age differences such that older adults use more response strategies than younger adults. This paper takes a comprehensive multilevel approach to understanding these differences, characterizing wayfinding as a complex information processing task. This analysis reveals factors that affect navigation strategy, including availability of the relevant type of environmental knowledge, momentary access to this knowledge, trade-offs between physical and mental effort in different navigation contexts, and risk taking. We consider how strategies are influenced by the computational demands of a navigation task and by factors that affect the neural circuits underlying navigation. We also discuss limitations of laboratory studies to date and outline priorities for future research, including relating wayfinding strategies to independent measures of spatial knowledge, and studying wayfinding strategies in naturalistic environments.

Measuring user preferences and behaviour in a topographic immersive virtual environment (TopoIVE) of 2D and 3D urban topographic data

ABSTRACT This paper investigates user preferences and behaviour associated with 2D and 3D modes of urban representation within a novel Topographic Immersive Virtual Environment (TopoIVE) created from official 1:10,000 mapping. Sixty participants were divided into two groups: the first were given a navigational task within a simulated city and the second were given the freedom to explore it. A Head-Mounted Display (HMD) Virtual Reality (VR) app allowed participants to switch between 2D and 3D representations of buildings with a remote controller and their use of these modes during the experiment was recorded. Participants performed mental rotation tests before entering the TopoIVE and were interviewed afterwards about their experiences using the app. The results indicate that participants preferred the 3D mode of representation overall, although preference for the 2D mode was slightly higher amongst those undertaking the navigational task, and reveal that different wayfinding solutions were adopted by participants according to their gender. Overall, the findings suggest that users exploit different aspects of 2D and 3D modes of visualization in their wayfinding strategy, regardless of their task. The potential to combine the functionality of 2D and 3D modes therefore offers substantial opportunities for the development of immersive virtual reality products derived from topographic datasets.

Impact of circulation complexity on hospital wayfinding behavior (Case study: Milad 1000-bed hospital, Tehran, Iran)

The character of large-scale healthcare facilities may tie into wayfinding difficulties and this oppression will yield in first-time users. Hence, the circulation of a building is the key factor in organizing its layout. Five circulation patterns have been found in hospitals based on route geometry, and each of them has its own complexities affecting wayfinding behavior. The present study focused on these complexities in circulation patterns in Milad 1000-bed mega-hospital and investigated the results related to wayfinding performance, people's chosen strategy, and individual capabilities in wayfinding. Then, it detailed the users' views and performance regarding the existing circulation layouts in order to improve the design and implementation of the delivery system. To design wayfinding tasks, first, the space syntax technique was conducted to anticipate the wayfinding flow and intelligibility of the space to define the origin and destination of every task. Then, 10 different scenarios were defined as a result of a detailed qualitative investigation of the hospital environment and interviews with stakeholders. Next, the “wayfinding performance” was assessed while participants were completing the assigned tasks. Finally, the obtained wayfinding strategies from the users during the process were evaluated. As a result, circulation patterns of the hospital significantly rely on the rate of distance trajectories, deviations from the main path and sign usage of wayfinders. Further, among all types of circulation patterns, the ease of wayfinding in radial, and deep corridor wards were higher among other patterns. The results indicate that circulation patterns should be assessed due to functional ward demands and the referred community needs.

Let eyes tell: experimental research on university library signage system and users' wayfinding behavior

PurposeWayfinding efficiency is an extremely influential factor to improve users' library interior experience. However, few research has studied the different functions of various wayfinding signages for university library users through mobile visual experiment. To fill this gap, the purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between university library signage system design and patrons' wayfinding behavior features.Design/methodology/approachIn this article, an eye movement tracking method was introduced to record eye movement data during the wayfinding process of participants in the library interior, targeting the cognition and psychology of library users in the wayfinding signage system. The visual guiding usability of landmarks, informational signages and directional signages were quantitatively tested, and the fixation on the signage system between orientation strategy users and route strategy users was compared. This study also investigated the effects of library users' spatial anxiety and environmental familiarity on their fixation on the area of interest of the wayfinding signage system using the differential test and regression.FindingsThis paper observed that informational signage had the best visual navigating competence. The difference of fixation duration and searching duration between patrons used various wayfinding strategies was significant. The informational signage was most attended by the route strategy users, and the orientation strategy users rarely focused on the directional signage. And participants with high anxiety tended to ignore the visually auxiliary function of the landmarks but paid attention to the directional signage. The participants with low anxiety could capture the landmarks that could not be easily found by the route strategy users. And participants less familiar with the environment were more sensitive to the landmarks. Furthermore, this paper offers optimization measures for university library wayfinding signage system, from the perspectives of informational signage understandability improvement, directional signage physical specification design and wayfinding assistant system with automatic landmark technology.Originality/valueThis article adds to the relatively sparse literature on university library user wayfinding experimental study in China. The experimental findings of this paper also have important practical implications for academic libraries' wayfinding system evaluation. The whole process could be seen as a repeatable and standard framework and methodology to inspect university library's wayfinding signage system usability and user wayfinding behavior performance.

Assessing the Role of a Children’s Collection in an Academic Library: A Case Study of Collaborative Collection Management

The Sonoma State University Library’s children's book collection is under-utilized by students in the School of Education, the primary intended audience, which prompted the Library to assess the role of this collection in the University setting. In an effort to learn more about the information-seeking needs and practices of students in the School of Education, the Education Liaison Librarian and Collection Development Librarian collaborated with faculty in the Department of Literacy Studies and Elementary Education to observe text set presentations from students in five classes and design a student-driven assessment of the children's collection. Following the student assessment, the librarians compared the criteria students used to select and deselect books with the criteria the librarians use to develop and weed the collection; the librarians used this information to refine collection management, organization, and wayfinding strategies for the collection so it aligns more closely with the students’ needs. This article describes the collaboration and results of the student assessment from the perspectives of both the librarians and the School of Education faculty.