Perceived walking environments and effects of visual preferences for wayfinding signages in Nanning, China

With the rapid acceleration of global urbanization, the continuous expansion of urban spaces has made urban legibility and connectivity increasingly significant on the global agenda, particularly in rapidly developing regions such as Asia. Deficiencies in urban wayfinding systems directly affect pedestrians' navigation experience and walking perception in urban spaces. As critical elements supporting pedestrian navigation and urban walkability, wayfinding signage is often overlooked in vehicle-centric urban planning. This study aims to investigate pedestrians' visual preferences for wayfinding signage and their impact on walking perception, while providing practical recommendations for wayfinding signage design. A photo-based survey was conducted with 385 pedestrians in Nanning, China. The findings reveal that although many wayfinding signage provide cognitive information, they perform poorly in sensory perception and fail to incorporate local characteristics, resulting in low visual preference ratings. Materials, colors, graphics, and text were identified as the key physical features influencing pedestrians' psychological perception. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that wayfinding signage aligned with pedestrians' visual preferences can significantly enhance walking appeal and connectivity, thereby positively affecting walking perception. These results underscore that wayfinding signage should not only clearly convey navigational information but also enhance the overall pedestrian experience through aesthetic and cultural expressions. This study provides empirical support for optimizing urban wayfinding signage design, assisting urban planners and designers in integrating pedestrian preferences to create clearer, more visually appealing pedestrian wayfinding signage systems that improve walking experiences and enhance the quality of urban life.

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