ENVIRONMENT AND BEHAVIOR / November 2000Dogu, Erkip / WAYFINDING ND ORIENTATION SPATIAL FACTORS AFFECTING WAYFINDING AND ORIENTATION

chology, environmental design, service distribution, and social justice in the city. ABSTRACT: Although wayfinding and orientation in complex buildings is an impor-tant criterion for environmental behavior, research on the subject remains limited and the issue is not considered sufficiently during the design process. This article exam-ines the factors that affect wayfinding behavior of individuals in a shopping mall and explains how their behaviors are influenced by factors such as building configuration, visual accessibility, circulation systems, and signage. The case study conducted in a mall in Turkey draws a sample profile of Turkish society from a wayfinding point of view. The relation between wayfinding behavior and shopping activity is discussed. The results show that people did not find the signage system sufficient. Although they found the mall an easy setting from the wayfinding point of view, they still required better solutions to find specific destinations such as telephone booths, restrooms, or stores located in parts of the building that were not visually accessible. It is possible to identify a person’s information-processing capabilities as they relate to architectural elements and space. Difficulties may arise when