Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify the research trend through content analysis of the previous researches on wayfinding issues in the field of spatial design in Korea. Total 91 research articles published in domestic academic journals from 1991 to 2015 were collected through the online search and analyzed using descriptive statistics. As conceptual framework for content analysis, research article publication year, academic field based on journal title, research methodology, target space for analysis, and type of research purpose were included. The major findings were as follows. Substantially, wayfinding research in Korea was begun in 1990s and was peaked in the latter half of 2010s. Healthcare facilities including hospitals and nursing homes were most frequently analyzed as target space, i.e., research subject. Majority of the researches analyzed were published in the diverse journals of design area. In many cases, qualitative research methods such as spatial construction analysis using Space Syntax, field study, observation, interview, etc were used by the researchers frequently. It was found that the majority of researchers focused on behavioral and psychological response of space users in the process of wayfinding. For further study, it is recommended to extend the scope of analysis to sign system which support effective wayfinding. In addition, foreign academic journal articles should be included for in-depth analysis.
