Overall, legibility is related to how quickly people can understand, and navigate, the interior layout of a building, and effectively understand the intended use of all the workspaces within. One aspect of legibility is to have the paths between locations, the “hallways” formed by groupings of furniture, form a pattern of connections that is easily learned and retained by the user.

The layout of a legible floor plan is clearly organized. People can easily create a “mental map” of the layout and find any location within the building, even with limited experience within the space. In terms of design, the layout of routes or paths within the office should set up a predictable rhythm that makes it easy for people to learn, or guess, where a desired destination or resource might be found.

Conversely, a “cube farm,” where the floor plan is laid out with monotonous regularity and every location looks the same, forms a disorienting maze. Complex “illegible” layouts can suppress desirable movement of workers between workspaces, increase wasted time, and reduce overall sense of control in people. If the intended use of a space and its technology is ambiguous (such as café spaces, lounge areas, etc.) people will avoid using them or waste time trying to figure out how to use the space and furnishings. Poor legibility of floor plan and spaces has been linked to negative health impacts.