Scientific journal paper Q2
Using environmental affordances to direct people natural movement indoors
Elisângela Vilar (Vilar, E.); Luis Teixeira (Teixeira, L.); Francisco Rebelo (Rebelo, F.); Paulo Noriega (Noriega, P.); Júlia Teles (Teles, J.);
Journal Title
Work: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation
Year (definitive publication)
2012
Language
English
Country
Netherlands
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Times Cited: 38

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Times Cited: 34

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Abstract
Understanding and predicting people’s displacement movement is particularly important for professionals involved in planning complex buildings (e.g., hospitals, convention centers, subway stations and university campus). Some decisions taken by the visitors while choosing what route to follow can be influenced by some environmental cues which can act as a factor of attraction, influencing the wayfinding process. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to evaluate the hypotheses that, in the context of a simulated emergency egress, people prefer to move along either a wider and with more lighting corridor or to bear right. To collect the users’ responses, a constant stimulus method was used, combined with a twoforced choices method, involving the projection of stereoscopic images in a wall-screen. Results suggest that, in a “T-type” intersection, users randomly chose which direction to follow. However, if there is an increment in the width of the side corridor, users tend to follow the wider corridor. When light is inserted, users also prefer to choose the corridors with more lighting. In situations where the variables corridor width and existence of lighting are concurrent, the corridors with light are the most chosen by the users.
Acknowledgements
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Keywords
Wayfinding,Decision-taking,Affordance,Virtual reality
  • Clinical Medicine - Medical and Health Sciences
  • Health Sciences - Medical and Health Sciences
  • Other Medical Sciences - Medical and Health Sciences
Funding Records
Funding Reference Funding Entity
PTDC/PSI-PCO/100148/2008 Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
SFRH/BD/38927/2007 Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia