Is three the magic number? The role of ergonomic principles in cross country comprehension of road traffic signs

Abstract

Article:Jamson, SL orcid.org/0000-0001-8166-0403 and Mrozek, M (2016) Is three the magic number? The role of ergonomic principles in cross country comprehension of road traffic signs. Ergonomics, 60 (7 ReuseUnless indicated otherwise, fulltext items are protected by copyright with all rights reserved. The copyright exception in section 29 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 allows the making of a single copy solely for the purpose of non-commercial research or private study within the limits of fair dealing. The publisher or other rights-holder may allow further reproduction and re-use of this version -refer to the White Rose Research Online record for this item. Where records identify the publisher as the copyright holder, users can verify any specific terms of use on the publisher's website. TakedownIf you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing eprints@whiterose.ac.uk including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. Is three the magic number ABSTRACTRoad sign comprehension plays an important part in road safety management, particularly for those drivers who are travelling in an unfamiliar country. Previous research has established that comprehension can be improved if signs are designed to adhere to ergonomic principles. However, it may be difficult for sign designers to incorporate all the principles into a single sign and may thus have to make a judgement as to the most effective ones. This study surveyed drivers in three countries to ascertain their understanding of a range of road signs, each of which conformed in varying degrees and combinations to the ergonomic principles. We found that using three of the principles was the most effective and that the most important one was that relating to standardisation; the colours and shapes used were key to comprehension. Other concepts which related to physical and spatial characteristics were less important, whilst conceptual compatibility did not aid comprehension at all.Practitioner Summary: This study explores how road sign comprehension can be improved using ergonomic principles, with particular reference to cross-border drivers. It was found that comprehension can be improved significantly if standardisation is adhered to and if at least three principles are used.

Study on the Relationship between Drivers’ Personal Characters and Non-Standard Traffic Signs Comprehensibility

“…However, no such differences were found in relation to the other groups of non-standard signs analyzed. The result of our study is consistent with several other studies [16,17,19].…”

“…This could have had a negative impact on their comprehension. Jamson and Mrozek [19] have already observed this problem, pointing to the need to standardize traffic signs in terms of color, shape and their physical and spatial features. It seems that it is also important to take into account the meaning of the symbol itself (shape, color, message model) in the designing process.…”

“…Traffic signs comprehensibility is related to the drivers' psychosocial features, such as gender, age and driving experience [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. A relationship was also found between the level of road signs comprehensibility and the drivers' age groups, including their health status and levels of cognitive impairment [25].…”

Understanding Design Approach for Bilingual Roadway Directional Sign

“…The design features found in directional signs have standards and requirements to be able to relay or deliver the message to road users with comfort and safety. (Jamson & Mrozek, 2017) studied responses of drivers from 3 different countries and concluded that text colors and shapes standards are the most defining criteria for aiding drivers' comprehension.…”

Human Factors and Ergonomics Design Principles and Guidelines: Helping Designers to Be More Creative

“…Several researchers have investigated how the principles and guidelines of HFE should be applied to assist in the process of designing or re-designing products and services. Studies of several areas of knowledge, such as medication alerts [1,2]; traffic signs [3,4]; classrooms [5,6]; sustainable buildings [7]; musculoskeletal disorders [8]; furniture [9]; workplaces [10,11]; and healthcare [12] have found that the application of HFE principles and/or guidelines can improve the performance and usability of products and services.…”