Exploring Individual Differences and Building Complexity in Wayfinding: The Case of the Seattle Central Library

TLDR

Wayfinding in multilevel buildings is influenced by interactions between individual differences and building characteristics. The study examined 59 participants navigating defined within‑floor and between‑floor tasks in the Seattle Central Library, assessing performance relative to individual differences and wayfinding strategies. Results show that individual differences, spatial configuration, and even semantic expectations jointly shape wayfinding challenges, underscoring the need for planners to account for building‑human‑task interactions.

Abstract

This article focuses on the interactions between individual differences and building characteristics that may occur during multilevel wayfinding. Using the Seattle Central Library as our test case, we defined a series of within-floor and between-floor wayfinding tasks based on different building analyses of this uniquely designed structure. Tracking our 59 participants while they completed assigned tasks on-site, we examined their wayfinding performance across tasks and in relation to a variety of individual differences measures and wayfinding strategies. Both individual differences and spatial configuration, as well as the organization of the physical space, were related to the wayfinding challenges inherent to this library. We also found wayfinding differences based on other, nonspatial features, such as semantic expectations about destinations. Together, these results indicate that researchers and building planners must consider the interactions among building, human, and task characteristics in a more nuanced fashion.