A Study of Universal Design for Public Signs
A Comparative Study of the Comprehension of Public signs among Chinese students,
Japanese students and the Japanese aged
Li YANG*, Miki KUMEKAWA**, Akihiro HOTTA**
*University of Chiba Graduate School of Science and Technology 1-33 Yayoi-chi Inage Chiba-chi
Chiba Japan, [email protected]
**University of Chiba Graduate School of Science and Technology 1-33 Yayoi-chi Inage Chiba-chi
Chiba Japan, [email protected]
**University of Chiba Faculty of Engineering 1-33 Yayoi-chi Inage Chiba-chi Chiba Japan
[email protected]
Abstract: Public signs are widely used throughout the world and are often misunderstood because of age, societal and
cultural differences. Therefore the relation between the understanding and the special characteristics of signs among
different ages and countries should be studied. The object of this research is to examine, through the administration of
a questionnaire, how Chinese students, Japanese students and the Japanese aged identify 124 types of standardized
public signs used in Japan.
Comparison between the Chinese and Japanese students: Independent of the level of abstraction or concreteness of the
pictogram displayed, the signs of both countries are often similar in shape and are therefore easy to understand. Of the
signs not often used in China, those with concrete shapes were more easily understood than those of abstract shapes.
In the case that the signs of the two countries differed, students often answered incorrectly.
Comparison between the aged and the young students in Japan: The intelligibility to the signs among the aged is quiet
lower than the young students, especially to the signs were not used in their young age. Although the signs are often
used in daily life or experienced in young age are easy to understand for the aged, those signs with multiple elements
and abstract meaning are difficult to understand, and because the aged need to study and remember the signs which
used abstract shapes, such kind of signs are also difficult to understand.
As a result it is necessary to promote worldwide understanding of public signs through the standardization of easy to
understand symbols and products to convey information effectively.
Keywords: Universal Design, Public Signs, shapes, meanings
1. Background
At present, the signs for public information, drafting, manifestation and operation are indispensable to our life
and become an important media to communicate vital information in the public. With a trend of more international
exchanges and the transition to the aged society, the universal design for public signs is required to break the age,
language and culture barriers.
2. Purpose
The object of this research is to examine, through the administration of a questionnaire, how Chinese students,
Japanese students and the Japanese aged identify 124 types of standardized public signs used in Japan and in what
kinds of conditions, the public signs can be understood by everyone. The signs to be used are standardized by the
Foundation for Promoting Personal Mobility and Ecological Transportation.
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3. Method
28 students (17 male subjects and 11 female subjects) of Beijing University of Post and Telecommunication,
with an average age of 20 years, 53 students of Chiba University (39 male subjects and 14 female subjects), with
an average age of 20 years, and 88 students of Chiba KOTOBUKI College (45 male subjects and 43 female
subjects), with an average age of 65.7years, participated in this study. They were showed the questionnaires with
124 types of signs printed in black and required to answer the meaning of each sign. (Table.1)
4. Result and analysis
4.1. Definitions
4.1.1. A proper answer rate
The proper answer rates of Chinese students, Japanese students and Japanese aged were calculated, and the
meanings of 124 types of signs were set as the proper answer.
4.1.2. Classification of Forms
As for the category according to forms, there are three categories: the signs with concrete shapes, which have
the concrete forms, such as the natural things and artifact; the signs with abstract shapes, which were expressed by
geometric symbols, literary things and so on; the signs with composite shapes, which were combined with both of
concrete shapes and abstract shapes.
4.1.3. Classification of meanings
As for the category according to meanings, the signs were classified in three kinds of the meanings, the
concrete meaning, the abstract meaning and the process･composite concept.
The concrete meaning can be expressed by concrete form. There are two different cases in expressing meaning
with concrete forms. One is the dictionary type meaning, and the other is the derivative meaning. As for the
dictionary type meaning, it means the form that is shown, so if a teakettle is drawn, it means a teakettle. As for the
derivative meaning, a common motif from which everyone can associate the real meaning must be selected.
The abstract meaning means the meaning can’t be expressed by concrete form.
The process ･ composite concept expresses the processes of movements, changes and operation or the
composite concepts including situations.
4.1.4. Significant differences test of ratio of proper answer rate
We had two significant differences test: one is between the Japanese students and the Chinese students, and the
other is between the Japanese students and Japanese aged. (p<0.05)
4.2. Result and analysis
4.2.1. The signs with a high proper answer rates (Table 2)
There are 26 types of signs, which’s proper answer rates were more than 66.7%(ISO9186-1989、GB12103-90)
in every subject’s group, and among those, there are 9 types of signs have no significant differences in both of two
tests. Many of them have a concrete meaning with a concrete form.
4.2.2. The signs with a low proper answer rates (Table 3)
There are 30 types of signs, which’s proper answer rates were less than 66.7% in every subject’s group. To
compare with the signs with a high proper answer rates, there are a lot of signs expressing the abstract meaning or
the process･composite concept with a concrete form, and are many signs with a abstract form.
4.2.3. Signs with significant differences (Table.1)
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4.2.3.1. Test between the young and the aged
Table 1 shows that there are 50 types of signs answered by Japanese students and 9 types of signs answered by
Japanese aged, those proper answer rates were more than 90%. In all of 124 types of signs, there are 74 types of
signs have the significant differences between the aged and the young, even the signs with a low proper answer
rates, the proper answer rates of young is higher than the aged.
4.2.3.2. Test between Japanese and Chinese students
Japanese students more easily understood 106 types of signs than Chinese students. The signs of both countries
are often similar in shape and are therefore easy to understand. Of the signs not often used in China, their proper
answer rate is low for the Chinese students, but those with concrete shapes were more easily understood than
those of abstract shapes.
5. Discussion
5.1. Characteristics of the signs with a high proper answer rate
Most of these signs used the concrete meaning. The forms they used, such as ‘shower’, ‘telephone’, ‘the
prohibition mark’ are all expressed by the concrete object or behavior and always be used in daily life around all
of the world, and just represent the user’s impression of the sign’s meaning. The concrete shapes with a typical
meaning should be suggested to use.
5.2. Characteristics of the signs with a low proper answer rate
Most of these signs used the abstract forms and not often used in daily life, such as ‘information’, or used the
concrete forms, but the meaning is indirect and complicated, such as ‘nature reserve’.
5.3. The factor of the culture and the age
In different groups of subjects, the proper answer rate is influenced by the factor of the culture and the age.
The intelligibility to the signs among the Japanese aged is quiet lower than the young students, especially to the
signs that were never known before and used the abstract shapes. For the Chinese students, the signs not often
used in China, or the signs used something that is not Chinese things are difficult to understand.
6. Conclusion
As a result the signs that are easy to understand to everyone should use the concrete forms that are often used
in daily life, and without the complicated contents. If the complicated direction or function is necessary, we
suggest use the word to make the signs transmit easily.
References
1.
Yukio, Ota. Pictgram Design. Tokyo: Kashiwa Shobo, 1987.
2.
China National Institute of Standardization. GB 12103-90 Procedures for the development and testing of
graphical symbols for use on signs. Beijing: China Standardize Publishing, 1990.
3.
Foundation for Promoting Personal Mobility and Ecological Transportation. The Guideline of the
Standardized Public signs. http://www.ecomo.or.jp/symbols, 2002
4.
Li, Yang. Miki, Kumekawa. Akihiro, Hotta. A Study of Universal Design for Public Signs. Wakayama:
Proceedings of the 49th Annual Conference of JSSD, 2002
5.
Li, Yang. Miki, Kumekawa. Akihiro, Hotta. A Comparative Study of the Comprehension of Public Signs
among the Aged and the Young. Tokyo: Gerontechnology Study Forum, 2002
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