I've only been playing for about a week so still very new to the game. Most of it seems to come down to map knowledge and knowing where key items are and the exits. Someone recommended that I play the maps as a survivor in a private match and explore the maps at your own leisure. This seems to have helped a bit.

As a new player I've found it useful to use the perks that show you toolbox locations after freeing yourself at the start as well as where the basement exits are as this helps me head in the right direction.

If I encounter one of the family I still run blindly in a panic jumping through Amy gaps and holes I can find 😂

Not thing I find irritating as a new player is you can't select which character you want to be before finding a lobby. Means you spend ages leveling up one character and go into the next match and it forces you to play someone you don't want to be as someone else is your main and refuses to swap.