Optimisation of floor evacuation map based on drive design

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Cognitive Psychology
• Wayfinding Design

Background:

• Effective floor evacuation maps are crucial for safety in public spaces like libraries and malls.
• Current map designs may not optimally leverage cognitive principles for wayfinding.
• Optimizing map design can improve user comprehension and response during emergencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effectiveness of different design strategies for floor evacuation maps.
• To compare drive designs (non-drive, salient stimulus-drive, working memory-drive) for evacuation maps.
• To enhance user wayfinding behavior and information retention in simulated evacuation scenarios.

Main Methods:

• Experiments were conducted using library and mall evacuation map scenarios.
• Participants' wayfinding behavior was analyzed using metrics like average duration of fixation (ADF), average fixation counts (AFC), accuracy rate (AR), and response time (RT).
• Three design approaches were tested: non-drive, salient stimulus-drive, and working memory-drive.

Main Results:

• Salient stimulus-drive and working memory-drive designs significantly reduced ADF and AFC compared to the non-drive design.
• Both improved accuracy rate (AR) over the non-drive design.
• The salient stimulus-driven group exhibited a significantly longer response time (RT).

Conclusions:

• Incorporating floor plans and salient stimuli into evacuation map designs enhances readability.
• These optimized designs facilitate better retention of evacuation routes.
• Design choices significantly impact user performance in wayfinding tasks, particularly in emergency contexts.