Design Factors of Water Mist in the Mystery of Landscapes ^†

Abstract

Water mist enhances the sense of mystery with visual and sensory effects, depending on its atmospheric creation and varying mist heights. Key factors influencing this mystery are the combination of mist with plants, increased air humidity, and sound effects. We identified important elements in the landscape at different times of day: in the morning, plant combinations and terrain; during the day, humidity and obscuring effects; in the evening, imaginative space; and at night, mist with plants. It is necessary to enhance visual effects and terrain variation in mist design to offer guidelines for future exploration.

1. Introduction

Landscape preference is based on Kaplan’s information processing theory (IPT), in which preferences based on factors such as coherence, complexity, legibility, and mystery are evaluated. The theory elaborates on four factors that influence landscape preference. The higher the value assigned to a particular factor, the greater the overall preference.

First, coherence is assessed through the overall rationality of the scene. Second, complexity is measured by the diversity of landscape elements present within the scene. Third, legibility is gauged by the comfort people feel within the scene. Finally, mystery is evaluated through people’s curiosity about exploring elements beyond the scene itself. In the preference matrix, these factors are categorized based on the interpretation of human understanding and exploration of the environment [1] (

Table 1. Information processing theory preference matrix [2,3,4].

Level of Interpretation (Preference Matrix)	Making Sense (Comprehension)	Involvement (Exploration)
The Visual Array (Immediate Landscape)	Coherence	Complexity
The Three-Dimensional Space (Inferred Landscape)	Legibility	Mystery

).

Mist is a captivating design element in contemporary landscape architecture, enhancing esthetic appeal and sensory engagement. With its unique visual and auditory characteristics, the environmental phenomenon provides a profound sense of mystery, enticing people to explore and reflect. Visual obstruction caused by mist, the atmospheric effects, and the interplay of sound significantly enhance the qualities of landscapes [5,6,7]. Moreover, the combination of mist with plant life, the manipulation of mist height and density, as well as the incorporation of various terrains and pathways further enrich the sensory experience, making these landscapes not only visually striking but also immersive.

Sensory design elements refer to various components that are carefully considered in the design of products, environments, or experiences, specifically targeting human senses [8]. The elements enhance the overall experience for users and increase the appeal and functionality of the product. Sensory design involves the following five senses:

• Visual sense: This includes elements such as color, shape, typography, and graphics. Visual design plays a crucial role in capturing users’ attention and conveying information. Bright colors and good typography can make information easier to understand and remember.
• Auditory sense: This involves sound effects, music, and voice. Auditory design influences emotions and enhances brand impressions. For example, background music can help customers feel relaxed in a store, thereby extending their stay.
• Tactile sense: This refers to sensations related to product materials, shapes, and surface textures. Tactile design is essential in product development, as a positive tactile experience can increase the product’s appeal and comfort of use.
• Olfactory sense: Smell significantly affects a person’s emotions and behavior. Properly incorporating scents in design enhances customer experience, such as releasing the aroma of fresh coffee in a café.
• Gustatory sense: This is mainly applied in the design of food and beverages, involving the combination of taste, texture, and appearance. Exceptional gustatory design can provide customers with a more enjoyable tasting experience.

The effective integration of sensory design elements creates vibrant and immersive experiences, thereby enhancing brand recognition and customer loyalty. Considering these elements in various design contexts meets users’ needs and expectations, promoting more enjoyable interactions. Landscape atmosphere [9] refers to the emotions, textures, and ambiance conveyed by a specific environment or scene, typically composed of various factors, including natural elements, design features, human creations, and the light and sound present in the environment. The landscape atmosphere significantly impacts human perception and emotion, shaping people’s experiences and feelings about a space. The key components of landscape atmosphere include the following:

• Natural elements: Natural landscapes such as plants, terrain, water bodies, and animals influence emotions and psychological states. For example, green vegetation may evoke a sense of calm, while expansive water surfaces are often associated with relaxation and pleasure.
• Design features: These include the shape, materials, color, and texture of buildings, all of which directly affect the atmosphere. For instance, a space built with warm colors and natural materials creates a cozy and comfortable ambiance.
• Light: The quality and direction of light affect the perception of space; for example, soft lighting creates a relaxing feeling, while intense direct light triggers feelings of tension.
• Sound: The sounds within the environment (such as flowing water, birds chirping, or city noise) also influence the atmosphere. A quiet environment often brings tranquility, while lively music can inspire and energize.
• Human activity: Interactions and behaviors of people significantly impact the formation of the atmosphere. For example, interactions in a bustling public space create a vibrant and social atmosphere, whereas contemplative actions in a serene park foster a sense of peace.

Overall, the landscape atmosphere reflects the interaction of multiple factors, which profoundly affect people’s emotions, behaviors, and social interactions. Designers and planners often consider these elements to create pleasant and engaging landscape environments.

Environmental experience enhancement [10] refers to the design and manipulation of various elements in an environment to guide and improve the experiences and interactions of users. This concept emphasizes how to enhance people’s experiences in specific environments—whether commercial spaces, public areas, or personal settings—by creating positive sensory stimuli and comfortable spaces. The key components of environmental experience enhancement are as follows:

• Sensory stimulation: The design of visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, and gustatory elements in the environment evokes emotional responses from users and enhances their perception of the space. For example, soft lighting combined with appropriate background music creates a more relaxing atmosphere.
• Spatial layout: Logical spatial planning and layout improve flow and interactivity, making users feel more comfortable and the space more convenient. Open designs promote social interaction, while private spaces provide a quiet environment for reflection and rest.
• Interactive elements: Introducing interactive facilities and technologies (such as information displays, interactive art installations, etc.) stimulates users’ curiosity and enhances their sense of participation. Such interactions enable people to explore the environment more deeply.
• Emotional connection: In an environmental design, users’ emotional needs are considered to establish emotional connections through color combinations, material selections, and artistic presentations. These foster a sense of familiarity and belonging within the environment.
• Culture and context: Designers take the local cultural background and social context into account to allow users to experience familiarity and resonance. This creates connections between the space and users’ life experiences, enhancing their sense of identification with the environment.
• Physical and mental well-being: Environmental design promotes physical and mental health. For example, incorporating green plants, natural light, and high-quality air contributes to overall well-being and reduces stress levels.

In summary, environmental experience enhancement is a design strategy to create spaces that are engaging, enjoyable, and inspiring for users, ultimately improving their quality of life and satisfaction.

Mist landscapes are an important element in modern landscape design, demonstrating significant effects to enhance the sense of mystery within spaces through their unique visual and sensory experiences. Mist enhances the immersive quality of an environment.

However, the design elements of mist landscapes differ at various times. Therefore, through a questionnaire survey and multiple regression analysis, we investigated the effects of mist design in enhancing landscape mystery. The findings contribute to revealing the variables that affect the perceptions of mist landscapes and their sense of mystery at different times of day. The results also offer a reference for mist landscape designs. By conducting an in-depth analysis of the variables in the design process, design guidance can be provided to enhance the atmosphere of public spaces and improve user experiences.

2. Methods

A questionnaire was designed based on the result of the literature review and an expert’s suggestions. Then, it was refined based on the pre-test result. The questionnaire consisted of personal basic information, perception of landscape mystery, water mist landscape design and its impact on activity behavior, perceptions of water mist landscape design, feelings towards the water mist landscape, and feedback on the experience of the water mist. The survey was conducted on online platforms (such as Google Forms) and through on-site distribution. A total of 30 on-site visitors and 198 respondents from various sectors, including industry, government, academia, and civic groups, participated in the questionnaire survey, resulting in 228 valid responses. The collected data were coded and analyzed using SPSS (IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0). Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted to calculate the mean, standard deviation, and other statistics to explore the factors of water mist design that enhance landscape mysteries. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine how water mist design affects landscape mystery and other related factors. The influence of different times on the perception of landscape mystery was also explored. Using the methodology, the design elements of water mist were identified to provide references and suggestions for water mist landscape design and improve the atmosphere of public spaces and user experience.

3. Result

3.1. Respondents

Female respondents accounted for 50.9% of all respondents. Of the respondents, 27.6 and 35.3% were 31–40 and 41–50 years old. Regarding education level, 46.5 and 46.1% had a university degree or a master’s degree. In terms of employment, 26.8 and 24.1% were employees or freelancers.

3.2. Perception of Landscape Mystery

Landscapes with mist showed a higher sense of mystery (mean = 4.17) than those without mist (mean = 2.58). Additionally, the preference for mist landscapes (mean = 4.15) was higher than those without mist (mean = 3.04). The perception of mystery was described as follows: “Mist can enhance the mystery of the landscape”, “The hazy effect of mist under sunset can enhance the mystery of the landscape”, “The diversity of environmental planting can increase the mystery of the landscape”, “The rustling sound of bamboo swaying in the wind can enhance the mystery of the landscape”, and “The sound of small pebbles rustling can increase the sense of mystery in the landscape”. Such descriptions indicated that mist contributes to the increased mystery of the landscape. “Environments with landscape mystery are attractive” scored 4.19, demonstrating that landscape mystery enhances the attractiveness of the environment. Therefore, increasing landscape mystery is important in landscape designs. “Mystery is important in playground landscape design” scored 3.71, indicating that mystery was not the most emphasized aspect of the landscape design compared to other factors such as safety, fun, and enjoyment are considered more important (

Table 2. Statistical analysis result of perception of landscape mystery.

Questionnaire Items	Mean	Standard Deviation
I believe that areas “with” mist have a sense of mystery.	4.17	0.68
I believe that areas “without” mist have a sense of mystery.	2.58	0.80
I like landscapes with mist.	4.15	0.65
I like landscapes without mist.	3.04	0.83
I believe mist can enhance the mystery of the landscape.	4.33	0.68
I believe that the diversity of environmental planting can increase the mystery of the landscape.	4.18	0.78
I believe that the hazy effect of mist under sunset can enhance the mystery of the landscape.	4.3	0.77
I believe that the sound of small pebbles rustling can increase the sense of mystery in the landscape.	3.63	0.91
I believe that the rustling sound of bamboo swaying in the wind can enhance the mystery of the landscape.	3.97	0.89
I believe that environments with landscape mystery are attractive.	4.19	0.76
I believe that mystery is important in playground landscape design.	3.71	1

).

Attractive Environment with Landscape Mystery

The adjusted R² of the regression model was 0.4344, indicating a satisfactory explanatory power. The tolerance and variance inflation factor (VIF) showed that there was no multicollinearity problem. The standardized coefficients indicated that the sounds produced by the swaying of bamboo in the wind, the mist, the haziness created by the mist under the sunset, and the diversity of environmental planting significantly enhance the attractiveness of environments with landscape mystery. Landscape designers must emphasize the use of mist and plants to increase the attractiveness of environments with landscape mystery (

Table 3. Multiple regression analysis result of attractiveness of environments with landscape mystery.

Model	Unstandardized Coefficient		Standardized Coefficient	T	Significance	Collinearity Statistics
	B	Standard Error	β			Tolerance	VIF
(constant)	0.768	0.273		2.815	0.005
I believe that the rustling sound produced by the swaying of bamboo in the wind can enhance the mystery of the landscape	0.268	0.051	0.314	5.297	0	0.708	1.413
I believe that mist can enhance the mystery of the landscape	0.248	0.076	0.221	3.26	0.001	0.542	1.846
I believe that the hazy effect of the mist under the sunset can enhance the mystery of the landscape	0.187	0.07	0.189	2.662	0.008	0.497	2.013
I believe that the diversity of environmental planting can enhance the mystery of the landscape	0.115	0.058	0.118	1.978	0.049	0.705	1.418

Dependent variable: I believe that environments with landscape mystery are attractive.

).

3.3. Perspections of Water Mist Landscape Design

The average scores for “landscapes that have experienced mist effects” and “overall positive impression of mist landscape effects” were 4.28 and 4.26, indicating that the respondents affirmed landscapes with mist effects. For “enhancing environmental experience, regardless of air humidity, environmental temperature, or the aspects of visual effects and increased sense of mystery”, the average scores were higher than 4.30, showing that the mist significantly enhances the environmental experience as a notable element in the landscape. For “mist landscapes can enhance the mystery of the landscape”, the average score was 4.29, indicating a high level of agreement among the respondents. As for “design effects of mist have a positive impact on the mystery of landscapes”, “sound effects (hissing sound)” scored 3.77, and items scored higher than 4.08. For “atmosphere creation with mist” and “combining mist with plant landscapes”, the scores were 4.32 and 4.30, respectively. The results showed that landscape designers need to focus on visual obscuration effects, atmosphere creation, and increasing the sense of fantasy by enhancing air humidity and comfort to enhance the mystery of landscapes. It is necessary to integrate plants at varying heights and densities and incorporate undulating terrain and pathways to enhance landscape mystery. Regarding the mystery of mist landscapes at different times of day, the average score for “mist landscape during the daytime has a sense of mystery” was lower, at 3.84; however, for the morning, evening, and nighttime periods, the average scores for the mystery of mist landscapes were higher than 4.01. This indicates that mist can be effectively used at different times of day, with the mystery effect being particularly better in the morning and evening.

For design techniques, the adjusted R² of this regression model was 0.619, indicating strong explanatory power (

Table 4. Multiple regression analysis of design techniques in mist landscape.

Model	Unstandardized Coefficient		Standardized Coefficient	T	Significance	Collinearity Statistics
	B	Standard Error	β			Tolerance	VIF
(constant)	0.273	0.213		1.279	0.202
I believe that the ‘visual obscuration effect’ of mist	0.323	0.062	0.326	5.198	0	0.428	2.336
I believe that the ‘atmosphere creation’ of mist	0.293	0.069	0.271	4.241	0	0.41	2.439
I believe that the ‘enhancement of air humidity and comfort’ by mist	0.186	0.038	0.231	4.907	0	0.759	1.318
Incorporating undulating terrain and pathways	0.143	0.05	0.149	2.854	0.005	0.618	1.618

Dependent variable: I believe that mist landscapes can enhance the mystery of the landscape.

). The tolerance and VIF showed that there was no multicollinearity. The standardized coefficients indicated that the “visual obscuration effect” of mist, “atmosphere creation”, “enhancement of air humidity and comfort”, and “the incorporation of undulating terrain and pathways” significantly enhance the sense of mystery in the landscape.

For landscapes with mist to enhance the mystery of the landscape, the adjusted R² of was 0.367 without multicollinearity. “Combining mist with plant landscapes”, “incorporating undulating terrain and pathways”, “atmosphere creation”, “mist at different heights and densities”, and “sound effects (hissing sound)” were reported to significantly enhance the sense of mystery in morning landscapes (

Table 5. Multiple regression analysis of the sense of mystery in mist landscape during the early morning.

Model	Unstandardized Coefficient		Standardized Coefficient	T	Significance	Collinearity Statistics
	B	Standard Error	β			Tolerance	VIF
(constant)	0.712	0.315		2.258	0.025
Combining mist with plant landscapes	0.282	0.078	0.26	3.616	0	0.537	1.861
Incorporating undulating terrain and pathways	0.195	0.076	0.184	2.577	0.011	0.546	1.832
I believe that the ‘atmosphere creation’ of mist	0.238	0.086	0.2	2.777	0.006	0.537	1.862
Mist at different heights and densities	0.223	0.089	0.191	2.496	0.013	0.478	2.093
I believe that the ‘sound effects (hissing sound)’ of mist	−0.13	0.053	−0.151	−2.44	0.016	0.722	1.384

Dependent variable: The sense of mystery in mist landscapes during the early morning.

).

For the mist landscape in the daytime, the adjusted R² was 0.338, and there was no multicollinearity problem. “Enhancement of air humidity and comfort”, “mist at different heights and densities”, and “visual obscuration effects” were reported to significantly enhance the sense of mystery in daytime landscapes. These design elements need to be used in mist landscapes to enhance landscape mystery (

Table 6. Multiple regression analysis of the sense of mystery in mist landscape during daytime.

Model	Unstandardized Coefficient		Standardized Coefficient	T	Significance	Collinearity Statistics
	B	Standard Error	β			Tolerance	VIF
(constant)	0.585	0.324		1.803	0.073
I believe that the ‘enhancement of air humidity and comfort’ by mist	0.347	0.058	0.368	5.944	0	0.759	1.318
Mist at different heights and densities	0.231	0.081	0.186	2.867	0.005	0.689	1.451
I believe that the ‘visual obscuration effect’ of mist	0.2	0.079	0.173	2.546	0.012	0.631	1.584

Dependent variable: The sense of mystery in mist landscapes during the daytime.

).

For the mist landscape in the evening, the adjusted R² of this regression model was 0.325, and there was no multicollinearity problem. “Increasing fantasy and imaginative space”, “mist at different heights and densities”, and “combining mist with plant landscapes” were highlighted to significantly enhance the sense of mystery in the evening (

Table 7. Multiple regression analysis of the sense of mystery in mist landscape in the evening.

Model	Unstandardized Coefficient		Standardized Coefficient	T	Significance	Collinearity Statistics
	B	Standard Error	β			Tolerance	VIF
(constant)	1.079	0.298		3.626	0
Mist at different heights and densities	0.267	0.084	0.235	3.17	0.002	0.541	1.849
I believe that the mist’s ‘ability to increase fantasy and imaginative space’	0.278	0.066	0.28	4.247	0	0.684	1.461
Combining mist with plant landscapes	0.187	0.075	0.178	2.493	0.013	0.584	1.713

Dependent variable: I believe that mist landscapes during the evening have a sense of mystery.

).

For the mist landscape in the evening, the adjusted R² was 0.212, and there was no multicollinearity problem. “Combining mist with plant landscapes”, “increasing fantasy and imaginative space”, and “enhancing air humidity and comfort” were shown to significantly enhance the sense of mystery in nighttime landscapes (

Table 8. Multiple regression analysis of the sense of mystery in mist landscape during the night.

Model	Unstandardized Coefficient		Standardized Coefficient	T	Significance	Collinearity Statistics
	B	Standard Error	β			Tolerance	VIF
(constant)	1.228	0.356		3.448	0.001
Combining mist with plant landscapes	0.286	0.085	0.232	3.349	0.001	0.725	1.379
I believe that the mist’s ‘ability to increase fantasy and imaginative space’	0.214	0.088	0.184	2.425	0.016	0.606	1.651
I believe that the mist’s ‘enhancement of air humidity and comfort’	0.162	0.076	0.161	2.142	0.033	0.617	1.62

Dependent variable: The sense of mystery in mist landscapes during the night.

).

“Visual obscuration effect”, “atmosphere creation”, “enhancement of air humidity and comfort”, and “incorporating undulating terrain and pathways” significantly impact the sense of mystery in the landscape. There are important factors for presenting the mystery of mist during different times of a day. Overall, “combining mist with plant landscapes”, “mist at different heights and densities”, “increasing fantasy and imaginative space”, and “enhancing air humidity and comfort” are key design principles to be prioritized in the design process.

Landscapes with mist were significantly correlated with “I believe that mist can increase the mystery of the landscape” (r = 0.505), “I believe that the hazy effect of mist during sunset can enhance the mystery of the landscape” (r = 0.429), “I believe that the rustling sound produced by swaying bamboo in the wind can increase the mystery of the landscape” (r = 0.378), “I believe that the diversity of environmental planting can enhance the mystery of the landscape” (r = 0.191), and “I believe that the sound of small pebbles can increase the mystery of the landscape” (r = 0.308). This indicates that if the environment exhibits the aforementioned characteristics, a greater preference for mist landscapes can be obtained.

“I believe that mist design can increase air humidity and enhance the environmental experience”, “I believe that mist design can lower environmental temperature and enhance the environmental experience”, “I believe that mist design can enhance visual effects and improve the environmental experience”, “I believe that mist design can increase a sense of mystery and enhance the environmental experience”, “I believe that mist landscapes can enhance the mystery of the landscape”, and “I believe that the mist’s ‘visual obscuration effect” revealed the positive impact of mist on the mystery of the landscape.

“I believe that the mist’s ‘atmosphere creation’ has a positive impact on the mystery of the landscape”, “I believe that the mist’s ‘ability to increase fantasy and imaginative space’ has a positive impact on the mystery of the landscape”, “I believe that the mist’s ‘enhancement of air humidity and comfort’ has a positive impact on the mystery of the landscape”, “I believe that the mist’s ‘sound effects (hissing sound)’ have a positive impact on the mystery of the landscape”, “I believe that the ‘combination of mist and plant landscapes”, “I believe that ‘mist at different heights and densities’ has a positive impact on the mystery of the landscape”, and “I believe that in the mist area, the ‘incorporation of undulating terrain and pathways’ has a positive impact on the mystery of the landscape” were also statements that participants valued in their responses.

The effect of mist landscapes is influenced by the “visual obscuration effect”, “increasing fantasy and imaginative space”, and “incorporating undulating terrain and pathways”, which affects the overall impression of mist landscape effects (

Table 9. Multiple regression analysis of overall impression of these mist landscape effects.

Model	Unstandardized Coefficient		Standardized Coefficient	T	Significance	Collinearity Statistics
	B	Standard Error	β			Tolerance	VIF
(constant)	1.408	0.276		5.103	0
I believe that the mist’s ‘visual obscuration effect’	0.363	0.077	0.354	4.679	0	0.518	1.932
I believe that the mist’s ‘ability to increase fantasy and imaginative space’	0.178	0.072	0.185	2.458	0.015	0.522	1.916
Incorporating undulating terrain and pathways	0.132	0.065	0.133	2.021	0.044	0.682	1.466

Dependent variable: My positive overall impression of these mist landscape effects.

). This result echoes the following requirements: (1) a focus on how to increase visual effects (such as the introduction of lighting and the density configuration of mist) to enhance the environmental experience; (2) the configuration of topographical variations to create an impressive mist experience space. These need to be included in the guidelines for mist design.

4. Conclusions

We explored the effect of the mist landscape on the mystery of the landscape and people’s perceptions at different times. Mist landscapes provide unique visual and sensory effects and enhance the sense of mystery in a landscape. Factors such as the visual obscuring effect, atmospheric creation, the addition of fantasy and imaginative space, increased air humidity and comfort, sound effects, the combination of water mist with plant landscapes, varying heights and densities of water mist, and the establishment of undulating terrain and pathways positively influence the mystery of landscapes. Thus, through the interaction of multiple senses, mist creates an atmosphere that is mysterious and rich in imaginative space. Such landscapes immerse individuals, stimulate exploration, and enhance the overall perception of the environment. In other words, water mist design increases the mystery and allure of landscape spaces. At different times of the day, different design factors must be emphasized. In the morning, the most important factors are the combination of mist with plant landscapes, undulating terrain and pathways, atmospheric creation, different heights and densities of mist, and sound effects. During the daytime, increased air humidity and comfort, different heights and densities of mist, and visual obscuring effects are necessary. In the evening, fantasy and imaginative space, different heights and densities of mist, and the combination of mist with plant landscapes are recommended. At night, the combination of mist with plant landscapes, fantasy and imaginative space, and increased air humidity and comfort are preferred. Different factors are emphasized at various times to express the mystery of mist. Mist with plant landscapes, different heights and densities of mist, fantasy and imaginative space, and increased air humidity and comfort are essential design elements in the design process. The overall impressions of mist landscape effects can be enhanced with the visual obscuring effect, fantasy and imaginative space, undulating terrain and pathways in mist areas. These results suggest the need to enhance visual effects (such as incorporating lighting and configuring mist density) to improve the mist design and utilize terrain variation to create memorable experience. Such design elements can be a reference and guideline for future mist design.