Wayfinding Improvement in Metro Stations Using Dynamic Lighting Environment

Wayfinding techniques have been used to guide people through unfamiliar environments for decades. In layman definition, wayfinding is the communication of our dynamic relationship to space and environment; one of the most effective wayfinding clues to grasp the environment is lighting. Change in the light level is accompanied with changes in the visual function or what is called visual adaptation. There are difficulties that can face the visual adaptation process for elderly and/or people with visual disability and this visual adaptation can affect individuals’ safety and ability to find their way. Special attention should be given to providing convenient access to and through transitway stations for people; especially for those with special needs and/or visual disabilities. Consequently, this paper presents a framework to evaluate and enhance metro commuters’ visual adaptation in their passageway of entering and exiting Metro stations. The framework addresses both types of adaptation: dark adaptation and light adaptation and how they can affect the pedestrians/metro commuters’ experience. The proposed framework can be expanded to support many U.S. DOT’s livability initiatives and Accessible Transportation Technologies Research Initiative (ATTRI) program.