Exploring the visual environment of public spaces in residential care facilities: An eye-tracking study with seniors

As the global population ages, the environmental quality of residential care facilities (RCFs) becomes paramount for seniors' well-being. This study investigates the visual perception of public spaces in RCFs. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, integrating eye-tracking experiments with 30 senior participants (N = 30), HSV (Hue, Saturation, Value) color analysis, and subjective evaluations to analyze visual attention patterns. The results indicate that: 1) seniors’ visual perception is significantly modulated by spatial type and image parameters (color temperature, contrast, value); 2) visual focus concentrates primarily on furnishings and equipment within the central image area; 3) HSV color analysis reveals distinct attentional biases. Indoors, attention is directed towards reds, oranges, and blues of medium-low to medium saturation and medium-high value, while outdoors, the bias shifts to reds, oranges, yellows, blues, and purples of medium-low saturation and medium value; 4) seniors prefer neutral visual environments. Orange correlates with recognizability, green with spatial usage willingness, and low saturation with visual comfort (p < 0.05). Based on these findings, optimization strategies are proposed to enhance seniors' visual experience. This research contributes to the methodology of eye-tracking analysis in environmental design and provides an empirical foundation for creating visually supportive public spaces in RCFs tailored to seniors' perceptual needs.