This project examines how implicit architectural cues and explicit wayfinding interventions influence route-choice behavior in real healthcare environments. While it is commonly assumed in both research and practice that people are naturally drawn toward light, the role of windows as wayfinding cues has rarely been tested empirically. Focusing on a newly constructed hospital, we conducted a true experiment to investigate whether windows positioned at the end of corridors affect route choice behaviors during a goal-oriented wayfinding task, and how their influence compares to that of directional signage.

Using a 2 × 2 within-subjects experimental design, the study manipulated the presence or absence of windows and signage across two identical, mirrored hospital floors. Seventy-two participants completed four counterbalanced navigation trials involving a binary route choice at a decision point. Contrary to prevailing assumptions, the presence of a window significantly reduced the likelihood of continuing straight (i.e., toward the window), suggesting that participants may have interpreted windows as endpoints or boundaries rather than attractors. Signage showed no detectable effect on route choice. Additional analyses revealed meaningful individual differences related to age and self-reported sense of direction. Overall, the findings challenge a long-standing belief in healthcare design and highlight the need for evidence-based evaluation of architectural features that are often assumed to support wayfinding intuitively.