Comparison of the Level of Complexity Floor Plans and Circulation Effective Exhibition to Wayfinding A Target Inside the History Museum

Abstract

History museum is a public building that is important part in society as a place of learning. Having an exhibition floor plan is beneficial, as it enables visitors to navigate the museum efficiently and find the information without confusion in searching for what they want to learn. The objective of this research is to compare the level of complexity of floor plans and circulations in a history museum and their impact on targeting performance. This study is an experimental in generality, focused on floor plans and exhibition circulations with varying levels of complexity, measured using Inter-Connection Density (ICD), which is influenced wayfinding performance. A total of 200 undergraduate bachelor degrees students in their 2^nd-3^rd year were selected as the sample group for this study. Statistical analysis was conducted using Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). The experimental results revealed that, the floor plans and circulation of exhibition have a low level of complexity, as measured by ICD, and Control floor-plan facilitated efficient target locating for museum visitors. This is because it minimized wasted time in wayfinding walking. The implementation of certain measures can greatly assist visitors in navigating to their desired exhibition within the museum, making their journey easier. By strategically guiding visitors towards their targeted destinations, unnecessary wandering can be reduced. This not only minimizes the required traversal count to discover the target, but also provides a clear and unobstructed view of the target ahead. Consequently, visitors do not waste time by constantly stopping to observe their surroundings. The bigger the size of the floor plans and exhibition corridors with a high level of complexity and a high ICD value, along with an open floor plan, the more visitors to the museum exhibit have to wayfinding walking their targets. This is because they need to explore the entire exhibition area. Such extensive walking and visiting choices result in wasted time for visitors as they spend more time searching for their intended targets.