Wayfinding Signage Spatial Cognition and Wayfinding Decision-Making Research Review on Pedestrian Wayfinding Behavior in Large-Scale Transportation Hubs

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jcte.202606306

Author(s)

Yisi Xue*

Affiliation(s)

School of Artificial Intelligence, Guangzhou Railway Polytechnic, Guangzhou, China *Corresponding Author

Abstract

The spatial layout of large transportation hubs is becoming increasingly complex, and passengers’ difficulties in wayfinding have emerged as a prominent issue impairing operational efficiency and service quality. This article looks back at the relationship between wayfinding signs, spatial understanding, and navigation decisions, and analyzes the factors that affect navigation behavior from three aspects: the physical environment, characteristics of the signage system, and interference caused by commercial information. The evolution logic of research methodologies is traced, and evaluation frameworks and optimization strategies are summarized. The review reveals that existing literature has yielded abundant findings on optimizing visual parameters of signage, yet lacks systematic theoretical explanations regarding multi-source visual competition in mixed transport-commercial spaces. Conventional evaluations mostly rely on single indicators, which fail to unpack the full-chain process of “visual attention – cognitive processing – behavioral output”. Although the integration of virtual reality (VR) and eye-tracking offers novel research avenues, its application in signage research for transportation hubs remains in the initial stage. Future research should focus on constructing dynamic perceptual wayfinding models, developing high-fidelity simulation platforms, and exploring new paradigms for guidance system design within a multi-objective optimization framework.

Keywords

Transportation Hub; Guidance Sign; Wayfinding Behavior; Spatial Cognition; Virtual Reality; Eye-Tracking; Review

References

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