{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,31]],"date-time":"2026-03-31T15:20:25Z","timestamp":1774970425003,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":59,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,25]],"date-time":"2021-03-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1616630400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["LHT"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,2,14]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Purpose<\/jats:title><jats:p>Wayfinding efficiency is an extremely influential factor to improve users' library interior experience. However, few research has studied the different functions of various wayfinding signages for university library users through mobile visual experiment. To fill this gap, the purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between university library signage system design and patrons' wayfinding behavior features.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title><jats:p>In this article, an eye movement tracking method was introduced to record eye movement data during the wayfinding process of participants in the library interior, targeting the cognition and psychology of library users in the wayfinding signage system. The visual guiding usability of landmarks, informational signages and directional signages were quantitatively tested, and the fixation on the signage system between orientation strategy users and route strategy users was compared. This study also investigated the effects of library users' spatial anxiety and environmental familiarity on their fixation on the area of interest of the wayfinding signage system using the differential test and regression.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Findings<\/jats:title><jats:p>This paper observed that informational signage had the best visual navigating competence. The difference of fixation duration and searching duration between patrons used various wayfinding strategies was significant. The informational signage was most attended by the route strategy users, and the orientation strategy users rarely focused on the directional signage. And participants with high anxiety tended to ignore the visually auxiliary function of the landmarks but paid attention to the directional signage. The participants with low anxiety could capture the landmarks that could not be easily found by the route strategy users. And participants less familiar with the environment were more sensitive to the landmarks. Furthermore, this paper offers optimization measures for university library wayfinding signage system, from the perspectives of informational signage understandability improvement, directional signage physical specification design and wayfinding assistant system with automatic landmark technology.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title><jats:p>This article adds to the relatively sparse literature on university library user wayfinding experimental study in China. The experimental findings of this paper also have important practical implications for academic libraries' wayfinding system evaluation. The whole process could be seen as a repeatable and standard framework and methodology to inspect university library's wayfinding signage system usability and user wayfinding behavior performance.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/lht-01-2020-0007","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,24]],"date-time":"2021-03-24T04:37:51Z","timestamp":1616560671000},"page":"198-221","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":19,"title":["Let eyes tell: experimental research on university library signage system and users' wayfinding behavior"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"40","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9270-291X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wencheng","family":"Su","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4432-271X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zhangping","family":"Lu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9065-1461","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yinglin","family":"Sun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Guifeng","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"140","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,25]]},"reference":[{"issue":"2","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"143","DOI":"10.1016\/0163-6383(87)90029-4","article-title":"An evaluation of color preference in early infancy","volume":"10","year":"1987","journal-title":"Infant Behavior and Development"},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref002","unstructured":"Afrooz, A.E., White, D. and Neuman, M. (2014), \u201cWhich visual cues are important in way-finding? Measuring the influence of travel mode on visual memory for built environments\u201d, available at: https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/263320030."},{"issue":"2","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"102","DOI":"10.1108\/eb048860","article-title":"A good library sign system: is it possible?","volume":"12","year":"1984","journal-title":"Reference Services Review"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"81","DOI":"10.1016\/j.nlm.2011.09.007","article-title":"Eye tracking, strategies, and sex differences in virtual navigation","volume":"97","year":"2012","journal-title":"Neurobiology of Learning and Memory"},{"issue":"23","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref005","first-page":"53","article-title":"Signage and wayfinding in library planning and design","volume":"4","year":"2014","journal-title":"Tinta"},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref006","unstructured":"Barclay, D.A. and Scott, E.D. (2012), \u201cDirections to library wayfinding\u201d, available at: https:\/\/americanlibrariesmagazine.org\/2012\/03\/20\/directions-to-library-wayfinding\/."},{"issue":"5","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"407","DOI":"10.1108\/eb024320","article-title":"The design of browsing and berrypicking techniques for the online search interface","volume":"13","year":"1989","journal-title":"Online Review"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"27","DOI":"10.1108\/eb047977","article-title":"Wayfinding in libraries","volume":"14","year":"1996","journal-title":"Library Hi Tech"},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref009","article-title":"Wayfinding tools in public library buildings: a multiple case study","year":"2004"},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref010","first-page":"899","article-title":"The territory is the map: exploring the use of landmarks in situ to inform mobile guide design","volume-title":"INTERACT 2005: Human-Computer Interaction","year":"2005"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"71","DOI":"10.1108\/00907329710306599","article-title":"Creating the user-friendly library by evaluating patron perception of signage","volume":"25","year":"1997","journal-title":"Reference Services Review"},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref012","volume-title":"Determining Your Public Library's Future Size: A Needs Assessment and Planning Model","year":"1996"},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref013","volume-title":"Interior Design for Libraries: Drawing on Function and Appeal","year":"2002"},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref014","unstructured":"Carr, A.R. (2006), \u201cAn experiment with art library users, signs, and wayfinding\u201d, available at: https:\/\/ils.unc.edu\/MSpapers\/3150.pdf."},{"issue":"4","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref015","first-page":"39","article-title":"Eye tracking technology for learning and education","volume":"55","year":"2010","journal-title":"Journal of Research in Education Sciences"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref016","first-page":"630","article-title":"Managing facilities for results: optimizing space for services","volume":"55","year":"2009","journal-title":"The Electronic Library"},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref017","volume-title":"Interior Design for Libraries","year":"1979"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref018","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"28","DOI":"10.1080\/17489721003785602","article-title":"Including landmarks in routing instructions","volume":"4","year":"2010","journal-title":"Journal of Location Based Services"},{"issue":"4","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref019","first-page":"519","article-title":"Wayfinding in the library: book searches and route uncertainty","volume":"30","year":"1991","journal-title":"RQ"},{"issue":"4","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref020","first-page":"373","article-title":"Usage of factor scores for determining relationships among body weight and some body measurements","volume":"15","year":"2009","journal-title":"Bulgarian Journal of Agricultural Science"},{"issue":"4","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref500","article-title":"The relationship between wayfinding strategies and spatial anxiety of university students","volume":"18","year":"2012","journal-title":"Chinese Journal of Ergonomics"},{"issue":"7","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref021","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"414","DOI":"10.5860\/crln.73.7.8797","article-title":"Appearances do matter! what libraries can learn from Clinton Kelly","volume":"73","year":"2012","journal-title":"College and Research Libraries News"},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref022","first-page":"1383","article-title":"Cooperative usability testing: complementing usability tests with usersupported interpretation sessions","year":"2005"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref023","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"177","DOI":"10.1037\/0021-9010.68.1.177","article-title":"Orientation in buildings: effects of familiarity, visual access, and orientation aids","volume":"68","year":"1983","journal-title":"Journal of Applied Psychology"},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref024","unstructured":"Hahn, J. (2019), \u201cResearch and development of the FOLIO wayfinder app\u201d, available at: http:\/\/hdl.handle.net\/2142\/105492."},{"issue":"5","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref025","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"416","DOI":"10.1016\/j.acalib.2011.06.001","article-title":"Rapid prototyping a collections-based mobile wayfinding application","volume":"37","year":"2011","journal-title":"The Journal of Academic Librarianship"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref026","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"165","DOI":"10.1080\/01449290701773842","article-title":"Scrutinising usability evaluation: does thinking aloud affect behaviour and mental workload?","volume":"28","year":"2009","journal-title":"Behaviour and Information Technology"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref027","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"227","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jenvp.2008.07.001","article-title":"The effects of familiarity and gender on spatial representation","volume":"29","year":"2009","journal-title":"Journal of Environmental Psychology"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref028","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"187","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bbr.2008.08.040","article-title":"Age differences in the formation and use of cognitive maps","volume":"196","year":"2009","journal-title":"Behavioural Brain Research"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref029","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"171","DOI":"10.1016\/S0272-4944(03)00011-2","article-title":"Individual differences in wayfinding strategies","volume":"23","year":"2003","journal-title":"Journal of Environmental Psychology"},{"issue":"11-12","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref030","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"765","DOI":"10.1007\/BF01544230","article-title":"Gender differences in way-finding strategies: relationship to spatial ability and spatial anxiety","volume":"30","year":"1994","journal-title":"Sex Roles"},{"issue":"9-10","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref031","first-page":"389","article-title":"Gender differences in wayfinding strategies and anxiety about wayfinding: a cross-cultural comparison","volume":"47","year":"2002","journal-title":"Sex Roles"},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref032","volume-title":"Environmental Psychology","year":"2006","edition":"2nd ed."},{"issue":"3-4","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref033","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"285","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lisr.2018.09.011","article-title":"Habitual wayfinding in academic libraries: evidence from a liberal arts college","volume":"40","year":"2018","journal-title":"Library and Information Science Research"},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref034","volume-title":"The Image of the City","year":"1960"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref035","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"116","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lisr.2009.12.004","article-title":"Toward an understanding of library patron wayfinding: observing patrons' entry routes in a public library","volume":"32","year":"2010","journal-title":"Library and Information Science Research"},{"issue":"4","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref036","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"264","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lisr.2013.04.003","article-title":"Finding their way: how public library users wayfind","volume":"35","year":"2013","journal-title":"Library and Information Science Research"},{"issue":"8","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref037","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"747","DOI":"10.1080\/136588199241003","article-title":"Cognitive models of geographical space","volume":"13","year":"1999","journal-title":"International Journal of Geographical Information Systems"},{"issue":"4","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref038","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"497","DOI":"10.2307\/27784424","article-title":"Influences of gender role socialization and anxiety on spatial cognitive style","volume":"122","year":"2009","journal-title":"American Journal of Psychology"},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref039","unstructured":"Ohm, C., M\u00fcller, M., Ludwig, B. and Bienk, S. (2014), \u201cWhere is the landmark? Eye tracking studies in large-scale indoor environments\u201d, available at: https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/267209494."},{"issue":"3","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref040","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"319","DOI":"10.1016\/0142-694X(96)00001-4","article-title":"Wayfinding design: logic, application and some thoughts on universality","volume":"17","year":"1996","journal-title":"Design Studies"},{"issue":"3","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref041","first-page":"1","article-title":"Examining the validity of the total dwell time of eye fixations to identify landmarks in a building","volume":"9","year":"2016","journal-title":"Journal of Eye Movement Research"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref042","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"177","DOI":"10.1006\/jevp.1999.0160","article-title":"The relations among wayfinding strategy use, sense of direction, sex, familiarity, and wayfinding ability","volume":"20","year":"2000","journal-title":"Journal of Environmental Psychology"},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref043","volume-title":"Effective Library Signage. Spec Kit 208","year":"1995"},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref044","volume-title":"Landmarks GIScience for Intelligent Services","year":"2014"},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref045","unstructured":"Schwarzkopf, S., Von St\u00fclpnagel, R., B\u00fcchner, S.J., Konieczny, L., Kallert, G. and H\u00f6lscher, C. (2013), \u201cWhat lab eye tracking tells us about wayfinding: a comparison of stationary and mobile eye tracking in a large building scenario\u201d, available at: https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/272822897."},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref046","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1016\/S0065-2407(08)60007-5","article-title":"The development of spatial representations of large-scale environments","volume":"10","year":"1975","journal-title":"Advances in Child Development and Behavior"},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref047","article-title":"Research on regional characteristics of space marker system in subway station","year":"2014"},{"issue":"3","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref048","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"371","DOI":"10.1006\/jmla.1996.0021","article-title":"Perspective in spatial descriptions","volume":"35","year":"1996","journal-title":"Journal of Memory and Language"},{"issue":"5","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref049","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"339","DOI":"10.1080\/0044929031000","article-title":"Retrospective vs. concurrent think-aloud protocols: testing the usability of an online library catalogue","volume":"22","year":"2003","journal-title":"Behaviour and Information Technology"},{"issue":"3","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref050","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"221","DOI":"10.5026\/jgeography.103.221","article-title":"Reexamination of the component of distortions in cognitive maps \u2013 a case study of Kanazawa city","volume":"103","year":"1994","journal-title":"Journal of Geography"},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref051","first-page":"54","article-title":"The spatial analysis of cognitive map distortion in the scale of neighborhood","volume":"3","year":"2009","journal-title":"Human Geography"},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref052","unstructured":"White, L.L. (2010), \u201cBetter none than bad: when it comes to signage, nix the negative\u201d, available at: https:\/\/americanlibrariesmagazine.org\/2010\/07\/12\/signage-better-none-than-bad\/."},{"issue":"2","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref053","first-page":"249","article-title":"The space-math link in preschool boys and girls: importance of mental transformation, targeting accuracy, and spatial anxiety","volume":"35","year":"2016","journal-title":"British Journal of Developmental Psychology"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref054","first-page":"132","article-title":"The design and implementation of library signage and wayfinding system \u2013 a case study of Guangzhou library","volume":"30","year":"2018","journal-title":"Journal of Library and Information Sciences in Agriculture"},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref055","article-title":"Research on the metro public space design management","year":"2013"},{"key":"key2022021611153212900_ref056","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"49056","DOI":"10.1109\/ACCESS.2018.2865754","article-title":"A complete system for analysis of video lecture based on eye tracking","volume":"6","year":"2018","journal-title":"IEEE Access"},{"issue":"5","key":"key2022021611153212900_ref057","first-page":"16","article-title":"Review of the research progresses in selecting the landmark based on cognitive experimental methods","volume":"23","year":"2016","journal-title":"Geomatics World"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2022021611153212900_fur1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"23","DOI":"10.1177\/0961000616635243","article-title":"Understanding and describing users' wayfinding behavior in public library facilities","volume":"50","year":"2018","journal-title":"Journal of Librarianship and Information Science"}],"container-title":["Library Hi Tech"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/LHT-01-2020-0007\/full\/xml","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/LHT-01-2020-0007\/full\/html","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,24]],"date-time":"2025-07-24T22:13:55Z","timestamp":1753395235000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emerald.com\/lht\/article\/40\/1\/198-221\/453949"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,25]]},"references-count":59,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,25]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,2,14]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1108\/LHT-01-2020-0007"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/lht-01-2020-0007","relation":{},"ISSN":["0737-8831"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0737-8831","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,25]]}}}