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

Abstract

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.

Mapping the Evolutions and Trends of Literature on Wayfinding in Indoor Environments

“…Signage is a core topic in the advanced period (2016–2021). It appears that studies are focusing more on the impact of visual environmental attributes in the field [ 53 , 73 , 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 ]. In the developing period, there was a shift towards virtual reality, with novel topics such as “virtual reality” (18th), and “virtual environments” (16th) developing as leading research priorities [ 17 , 66 , 67 ].…”

“…As for the advanced period (2016–2020), new priorities included “eye-tracking” (36th), “isovist” (38th), and “Montreal Cognitive Assessment” (44th). Research using the eye-tracking method has been investigating the visual environmental factors that impact wayfinding behavior [ 73 , 74 , 86 , 97 , 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 ]. Isovists and visibility graph analyses have also been paid more attention recently in indoor wayfinding studies [ 56 , 105 , 106 ].…”

Editorial

“…More research studies have used new technologies, such as eye-movement-tracking devices, to study user behaviour in recent years. Su et al (2022) report a study using such a device to explore how library patrons interact with the university library signage system design. Their study used an eye-movement-tracking device to capture patrons' eye movement during their wayfinding process in the library interior.…”

Mental health and wayfinding

“…Lawton (1996) found that, as spatial anxiety increased, the accuracy of pointing at landmarks that were not visible, decreased. There is evidence that people who are anxious tend to rely on directional signs rather than landmarks to find the way (Su et al, 2021). One of the reasons for anxiety when wayfinding may be time pressure.…”