Influencing Exit Choice in the Event of a Fire Evacuation

Abstract

Unannounced evacuations were performed in both an office building and a cinema theatre in order to investigate if green flashing lights at exits can influence exit choice. Also studied was how the exits were perceived and the results were interpreted using the theory of affordances. The results indicate that green flashing lights can be used to influence exit choice in the event of a fire emergency. However, the effectiveness of the system seems to depend on the setting, e.g., the type of building. The results suggest that green flashing lights at an emergency exit, if used in an appropriate setting, makes the exit stand out and encourages people to use it.