Enhancing wayfinding performance in existing healthcare facilities using virtual reality environments to revise the distribution of way-showing devices

Al-Sharaa, Ammar and Adam, Mastura and Amer Nordin, Amer Siddiq and Alhasan, Ameer and Mundher, Riyadh and Zaid, Omar (2022) Enhancing wayfinding performance in existing healthcare facilities using virtual reality environments to revise the distribution of way-showing devices. Buildings, 12 (6). ISSN 2075-5309, DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12060790.

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Abstract

Wayfinding is the process of navigating the environment by using the available environmental cues. The issue of wayfinding difficulty in large healthcare facilities has grabbed the attention of many researchers in terms of its potential taxing effects on both users and institutions alike. While the challenge of regulating the process of designing wayfinding systems is still an active field of investigation, there has been a paucity of research addressing the challenge of distributing way-showing items based on users' performance within healthcare environments. This study proposes a wayfinding enhancement scheme whereby users' wayfinding performance data forms the basis of the process of distributing way-showing items within an outpatient unit in Malaysia. Furthermore, two virtual reality experiments were carried out, the first representing the existing wayfinding system and the second representing the new distribution. A cross-comparison between the two sets of results was conducted to evaluate the effect resulting from altering the as-built wayfinding system. The results indicated an overall reduction of time consumed to reach the same destinations as well as lesser distances traveled within the environment resulting from the implementation of the new distribution. This study puts forward the concept of implementing virtual reality environments to address wayfinding systems' design challenges in healthcare facilities rather than relying on designers' intuition.

Item Type: Article
Funders: None
Uncontrolled Keywords: Hospital environment; Outpatient unit; Virtual reality; Wayfinding
Subjects: N Fine Arts > NA Architecture
R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Divisions: Faculty of Medicine > Psychological Medicine Department
Faculty of the Built Environment > Department of Architecture
Depositing User: Ms. Juhaida Abd Rahim
Date Deposited: 19 Oct 2023 06:00
Last Modified: 19 Oct 2023 06:00
URI: http://eprints.um.edu.my/id/eprint/41942

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