How users find their way in hospitals: Contributions from a study on human information behaviour in wayfinding

Abstract This paper presents a study about the information behaviour of users during spatial orientation in a hospital in Brazil. The theoretical basis of the study draws on wayfinding processes, spatial cognition and aspects of human information behaviour. Moreover, the case study reported employed the wib-methodology. The results point out the main behavioural strategies employed by users when finding their way in a hospital, and the information barriers related to the signage and the elements of the built environment. The results ratify the need for a human centred design approach so as to develop effective wayfinding design solutions.