Visual Environment Effects on Wayfinding in Underground Spaces

This study investigates how visual environmental factors influence wayfinding behavior in underground spaces, with a particular focus on cultural differences between Korean and Chinese college students. A virtual reality (VR) environment was developed using Unity3D to simulate an underground space, incorporating five key visual variables: passage width, brightness, color temperature (warm vs. cool), the presence or absence of obstacles, and the configuration of sign systems. Participants were divided into two groups—Korean (Group K) and Chinese (Group C)—and engaged in a VR-based wayfinding experiment followed by an emotional vocabulary evaluation. The results indicate significant cultural differences in spatial perception and navigation preferences. Chinese participants preferred narrower, brighter, and cool-colored passages, associating them with an improved sense of direction, lower stress, and enhanced attention. In contrast, Korean participants favored wider, darker, and warm-colored passages, valuing accessibility, stability, and distance perception. Both groups showed a strong preference for environments with floor signage and combined sign systems, though Korean participants were more tolerant of obstacles. These findings provide practical insights for designing more inclusive and navigable underground public spaces across different cultural contexts.