The focus of the series of studies reported here is on the effectivene
ss of handout maps as wayfinding aids for museum visitors, and on the
importance of wayfinding to the quality of museum visitors' experience
s. The design of the handout maps that were used in the studies was gu
ided by a series of cognitively based principles that focus on the con
cept of simplicity. More than 700 visitors participated in these studi
es, which involved both surveys and performance measures. The results
show that visitors are eager to use handout maps and find them helpful
even when they contain few details. Furthermore, visitors who were gi
ven simple handout maps reported more positive expectations of their v
isit, and satisfaction levels were higher among exiting visitors who f
elt that they had been able to find their way around the museum more e
asily.