Saunas are widely available in gym and wellness facilities in Sweden. However, many
users, particularly beginners, international visitors, and individuals unfamiliar with
sauna culture, experience uncertainty about how to prepare and behave before
entering. This uncertainty is partly because pre-sauna practices are mainly guided by
implicit social norms rather than formal written instructions. As a result, expectations
are rarely explicitly stated in saunas, and users are instead expected to already know
how to behave. This lack of clear guidance can reduce confidence and comfort.
Despite the increased use of digital signage in public environments, little research has
examined how visual design supports understanding in this context.
This study explored how different visual design approaches in pre-sauna digital
guidance influence user understanding and comfort. It also aimed to identify design
principles for beginner-oriented guidance in gym saunas in Jönköping, Sweden. A
mixed-method design was used, including a pre-study survey (n=55). Based on these
findings, three prototypes were developed presenting identical content in text-based,
image-based, and hybrid formats. The prototypes were evaluated through scenario-
based testing and semi-structured interviews with 10 participants. The data were then
analysed using thematic analysis.
Results showed that all formats supported basic understanding but differed in clarity
and in how confident participants felt about their understanding and about entering the
sauna after viewing the instructions. The hybrid format was consistently preferred,
combining quick visual recognition with textual clarification. Within the context of
this study, the findings suggest that hybrid text-image guidance was the most effective
of the tested formats for supporting perceived comprehension and confidence.