Visual Perception and Information Design in Metro Wayfinding Systems: A Case Study of Suzhou Metro

Zengyan He^*Songzhi Zeng

• Huaqiao University, Quanzhou, China

As a very important part of public space, the visual identification ability of a metro wayfinding system directly affects the behavioral decision and travel experience of passengers. In this paper, Suzhou Metro is taken as the research object, and based on the deep analysis of the visual identification and user experience problems of the existing guidance system through the use of the grounded theory, recommendations for improvement are made. From the in-depth interviews of 30 passengers in different age groups, 12 initial concepts were extracted, and by the method of axis coding, 4 main categories are summarized, and by selective coding, it forms a theoretical model at last. We construct the judgment matrix based on expert assessment and combine it with the hierarchical analytic method for theoretical validation. The results showed that signage placement issues impeded information acquisition for 66.7% of participants, while information inconsistency increased navigation errors for 46.7% of participants. Based on the findings of the study, improvement strategies are developed that will enhance the readability of information, intensify the visual consistency, and optimize the interaction mode in order to provide a theoretical basis and design suggestions to improve the effectiveness and practical guidance ability of the metro wayfinding system.