# Exploring Visual Perceptions of Spatial Information for Wayfinding in Virtual Reality Environments
## Materials and Methods  
### Visual Stimuli  
The complex space connected to the subway station was constructed as an experimental setting. As visual stimuli in COEX Mall, Seoul, we included paths commencing at the entrance of Starfield and passing through the Star Hall Library to the COEX Exhibition Hall. The experiment stimuli were presented to participants as a way to recognize the paths in the immersive VR space. The experimental stages were as follows. First, to create the visual stimuli, a 360-degree camera was installed on the path from the entrance to the crossroads at the Star Hall Library. Several images were recorded, and visual stimuli were selected in consideration of the congestion, the location of the signs, and the visibility. During the preliminary investigation, it was found that the sign, the path, and the surrounding spaces were used to identify the destination at the crossroads of the experimental space. To obtain spatial information, the destination name of the sign and the direction of the arrow were found to be confusing factors in selecting the path of the space.  
Second, through a pretest consisting of two participants, the field of view and its visibility to the participants were confirmed when the captured 360-degree images were applied to the VR-based HMD device (SMI-HTC vive). Third, by analyzing the precautions of the experimental steps presented to the participants of the pretest, a pre-explanation was added to improve the participants' understanding of the experiment. Fourth, in the experiment (with a total of 23 participants--ten males and 13 females), participants each wore an HMD headset and observed visual stimuli while responding to an interview conducted by the experimenter.  
A total of four visual stimuli were presented in an order and under a time limit for the experiment. The perception processes of clarity and cognition according to the area of interest in this study were analyzed using one visual stimulus. In the visual stimulus shown in Figure 1a, the participant observed the environment for 30 s at the entrance of the experimental space. The experimenter explained to the participants the purpose of the experiment and the VR environment and asked the participant to recognize the visual information of the sign first. The next stimulus, shown in Figure 1b,c, was an image that allowed the first sign to be observed closely and could be seen as the participant moved toward the crossroads. Here, the participants could observe the guide signs at the front for 30 to 60 s, allowing them to understand and adapt to the next experimental stimulus. The next stimulus in Figure 1d was found at the first crossroad to the exhibition hall; participants were given the opportunity to select the next route to the exhibition hall after observing the spatial information on the signboard for one minute and recognizing the space. Finally, while observing the last visual stimulus in Figure 1e, the participants chose an appropriate path among the numbered crossroads and provided answers to the spatial perception items in the questionnaire interview. The data extracted from the last visual stimulus were analyzed as areas of interest (AOIs) for clarity and recognition.