Understanding Visitor Path Choice and Enhancing Wayfinding in Museums: A Critical Review of a Century of Research

The paths taken by visitors in museums influence what they see, do, learn, and experience. Poorly designed museums can lead to missed goals and opportunities. In this article, I critically review visitor studies published since the 1930s to evaluate explanations for visitor path choice in museums, namely, the location and attractiveness of displays, exhibits, and entrance and exit doors; spatial layout of exhibitions, galleries, and museums; cerebral lateralization of brain function; learning and cultural norms; optimality models of behavior; and the museum experience (e.g., visitor agenda, motivation). I discuss wayfinding aids including new technologies such as digital signage, indoor location technology, mobile access to wayfinding information, and Artificial Intelligence. Suggestions are made for understanding path choice and enhancing wayfinding in museums.