Proceedings of: Workshop on Improving Building Design for Persons with Low Vision

Signage

Comment and Question by Tom Williams: Along with the discussion about wayfinding and signage, it brings out the issue of contrast and tactile signs and so on. One of the things that we don’t do much here in the States is use pictograms. Wouldn’t it seem logical to use that on a more regular basis? And I understand that there are people out there that, these things just don’t register.

And I happen to be married to one of them who can’t translate a pictogram, but I think some of it is a learned skill and that, in addition to the fact that it’s easier to make the contrast, it’s also a more universal signage that doesn’t rely on knowing the English language. Is that something that we could build into these guidelines?

Response by Erin Schambureck: The only pictogram requirements that I recall being in ADA – and Marsha, maybe you could verify that – is really just that handicap image – the person in the wheelchair. The international symbol of accessibility.

Response by Marsha Mazz: Actually, there’s four, in terms of the ADA and ABA standards – one for assisted lifting, one for volume control – off the top of my head, I’m forgetting the fourth one. But anyway, we don’t require pictograms except for the international symbol of accessibility. The others we require only if you provide those features.

Question by Tom Williams: Well, the question really is, would that be an easier way to provide guidance?

Response by Marsha Mazz: Probably not for people with vision impairments because oftentimes, if you’re looking for the restroom, you know what the word “restroom” looks like as a whole. It’s a Gestalt – or “ladies” or “women’s” – you know all those. And so you have a sense of that form and how much real estate it takes up.

But pictograms – they get expanded and shrunk and they get, you know, decorated and all kinds of other things, which may – if you only use a pictogram – may be a problem. But I think you’re onto something in terms of, you know, trying to get at people using multiple methods. Some people are going to find a pictogram easier to spot and easier to understand, and particularly people with cognitive disabilities who may not read at all.

Comment by [Participant]: Perhaps incorporating those pictograms into the wayfinding to get you to those place, not just the sign identifying to the stair or the restroom.

Response by Marsha Mazz: My argument would be for redundancy with the use of the pictogram, not to have the pictogram totally supplant the word. In fact, when you use a pictogram to identify a restroom, for example, you are required – it’s in the ADA and ABA standards – to provide the equivalent verbal descriptor in raised letters or Braille.

Comment by [Participant]: And I think, also, those pictograms should be informed by human factors or something because I found out I’m not the only person in the elevator who cannot identify which of those triangles is – and I never want to push it because I’m sure I’m going to be pushing “close door” on somebody who’s trying to come in.

Response by Marsha Mazz: That’s a very good point. Most of the pictograms we use are not ISO standards and so they haven’t been tested through any kind of [a consensus process]. Just because we invent a pictogram doesn’t make it a good one.

Question by [Participant]: Is there a requirement for size in our standard – the size of the sign?

Response by Marsha Mazz: We’ve declined to try to describe the minimum size of a pictogram itself because, where do measure on a glyph? So what we did was, we prescribed that the field in which that pictogram sits has to be a minimum of six inches tall. So we’ve trusted the graphic designers to not put a postage stamp in a six-inch field. But legally, they could.

Question by [Participant]: But what is that six inches based on?

Response by Marsha Mazz: The six inches is just a typical plaque size that you will find for most signage. And we know that six inches is going to be installed anywhere between 48 and 60 inches on the latch side of the door because that’s required. So it’s going to be at eye level and it’s going to be at least six inches tall.

Comment by Fred Krimgold: One thing that I’ve noticed that is kind of interesting is, just taking airports and gate numbers around the world, they vary tremendously.

Response by Marsha Mazz: It’s a huge problem, and we haven’t regulated them as clearly –