Navigating Indoor Space
Placement of You-Are-Here Maps: An Empirical Study using Multiple Approaches
Chelsea Gilliam, Rui Li, Brian Chorman, Alexander Klippel,
Jinlong Yang
Background
You-Are-Here (YAH) maps are vital tools for navigation inside unfamiliar environments.
How can we assess the influence of the placement of YAH maps on wayfinding in buildings?
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Research Objectives
Analyze Library Environment Visibility Connectivity Layout Complexity
Add map placement to analysis to assess areas of map influence Conduct behavioral experiments to assess human wayfinding
performance in these environments
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4
Analysis of Library Environment
Visibility Analysisusing Depthmap Software.
This is the output of a visibility graph analysis.
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Analysis of Library Environment
Axial maps showing connectivity.
Areas of higher visibilityhave higher connectivity.
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Analysis of Library Environment
Layout Complexity was calculatedusing Inter-Connection Density (ICD).
ICD is a global measure of a floor’s overall layout complexity.
Placement of YAH Maps
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Voronoi Tessellation of Central Stacks
Navigation Aids
Central Stacks 1A
Signage Types
"/ You-Are-Here Map
#0 You-Are-Here Map (small size)
Employeeonly stairwell
Public access
stairwell
Placement of YAH Maps
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Voronoi Tessellation of Paterno Library
Navigation Aids in Paterno 2 and 5
Signage Types
"/!(
#
You-Are-Here Map
Call Number Location Sign
Hanging Sign
Temporary Call Number Location Sign
Floor 2 Floor 5
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Behavioral Experiments
24 students who had never visited the campus library before and 28 librarians were asked to find a book in each of the library environments.
Their paths were recorded via glasses with an attached camera.
Behavioral Experiments
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X
“X” marks the spot!
Novices
X
Experts
Behavioral Experiments
“X” marks the spot!
Novices Experts
X X
Behavioral Experiments
Novices
“X” marks the spot!
Experts
X X
X
Spatial Interpolation
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Novices
Maximum number of map views
Minimum number of map views (employee-only staircase)
Experts
X
Spatial Interpolation
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Novices
X
Experts
X
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Spatial Interpolation
Novices Experts
X XX X
Navigation Aids in Paterno 5
Signage Types
"/!(
#
You-Are-Here Map
Call Number Location Sign
Hanging Sign
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Findings
Good! -Small area covered per map
-Signage used to supplement YAH maps-High visibility and connectivity-Lower Inter-Connection Density
Novice wayfinding similar to expert wayfinding
Bad!-Large area covered per map-Low visibility and connectivity-High Inter-Connection Density
Distinct difference between novice wayfinding and expert wayfinding
Findings
Conclusions
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Current
Suggested
Adding more YAH maps along traveled routes may improve novice wayfinding inside the Central Stacks.
Acknowledgements
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Thank you to Rui Li, Dr. Alexander Klippel,and the Human Factors in GIScience Lab at
Penn State.
Research funding provided by Penn State Schreyer Honors College