Abstract
Well-designed wayfinding signs play an important role in improving the service level of metro stations, ensuring the safety of passengers in evacuation, and promoting the sustainable development of public transport. This study explored the effects of ambient illumination, color combination, sign height, and observation angle on wayfinding signs’ legibility in metro stations. In the experiment, simulated metro-wayfinding signs were made to test legibility. As designed, the legibility was measured based on the following independent variables: two levels of ambient illumination (70 lux and 273 lux), two target/background color combinations (achromatic-white target on black background, chromatic-yellow target on black background), two sign heights (1.5 m and 2 m), and three observation angles (0°, 45°, 70°). The results showed that brighter ambient illumination provided passengers with higher legibility. Achromatic color combination was more legible than chromatic color combination, but not significantly. Different types of signs, set at different height, did not directly affect legibility. Observation angle had significant effects on legibility. Visibility catchment area of wayfinding signs was like an ellipse, with its short axis nearly equal to the legibility distance of the sign at 0 degrees. The findings will facilitate the layout and setting location of wayfinding signs in metro stations and improve the level of wayfinding service.
Highlights
The use of underground facilities is tied to the sustainability of an urban area because it can alter the basis for economic conditions in an urban area by providing a better transportation and utility infrastructure that would be impossible to construct on the surface [1]
This study aims to investigate the effects of sign design and station environment, such as ambient illumination, color combination, sign height, and observation angle, as well as visibility catchment area, on sign legibility
The results showed that brighter ambient illumination provided passengers with higher legibility
Summary
The use of underground facilities is tied to the sustainability of an urban area because it can alter the basis for economic conditions in an urban area by providing a better transportation and utility infrastructure that would be impossible to construct on the surface [1]. The study on the visibility catchment areas of different types of signs in metro stations can provide a basis for a more accurate pedestrian simulation system. The dependent variable in this experiment was the legibility distance, which is the farthest position that participants could read the contents of a particular sign with 100% accuracy. Huang [29] suggested that achromatic color was the most effective background chromaticity with lower reading time and had a higher preference rating. Considering that, in this experiment, the background color is achromatic and belongs to the optimal class, the difference may be small
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