Abstract
As higher education increasingly emphasizes quality enhancement and innovative development, the importance of learning spaces is being recognized. The swift progress in information technology has also significantly altered learning methodologies, with informal learning becoming increasingly vital. The variety of spatial types and the intricate factors influencing informal learning spaces (ILS) can often result in interference among different elements, thereby undoubtedly escalating the complexity of research. The ILS within libraries has emerged as a research subject due to its exemplariness. To address this challenge, our study employed ultra-wideband (UWB) indoor positioning technology to conduct comprehensive research. This was achieved by gathering and analyzing data related to the indoor physical environment and user seating preferences, among other factors. We then established correlations between different data sets, considering the dimensions of time and space. This study constructed a multi-factor model influencing ILS and calculated the proportions of four decision-making elements using a comprehensive approach that included SPSS analysis and comparative scoring. Among these, physical elements topped the list, accounting for nearly 40% of student preferences. Following that, facilities elements contributed to over 20% of preferences. Ontology elements (macro layout, functional zoning, and form composition) explained over 15% of preferences, and lastly, atmosphere elements (> 10%). The study identified 7 key bottom-level indicators and their respective weights for each ILS type, and proposed improvement methods for them, aiming to offer reference and support for future ILS design.
Data availability
Data are available from the first author and the corresponding author for reasonable requirements.
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Acknowledgements
This research is supported by the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (Grant No. 2024A1515012129); the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52108011 and 51678239); the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. 2024ZYGXZR048); the State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Building and Urban Science, South China University of Technology (Grant No. 2024ZB06). It is also partly supported by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) scholarship under the CSC Grant No. 202406150137.
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Li Wang: Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Investigation, Resources, Writing—original draft, Writing—review and editing. Weihong Guo: Supervision, Writing—review and editing. Xiao Liu : Conceptualization, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Validation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Funding acquisition. Xinyu Wang : Writing—review and editing. Luca Caneparo : Supervision, Writing—review and editing. Guibin Zhang : Investigation, Resources. Bao-Jie He : Writing—review and editing. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
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Wang, L., Guo, W., Liu, X. et al. Strategies for designing informal learning spaces in libraries based on comprehensive field measurements of light, noise, thermal, and air quality. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-47011-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-47011-w
