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Abstract
Children’s drawings could give new insights into how signs should be designed for children. Safety signs in public places, such as parks and shopping malls, are sometimes not comprehensible to children. In this study we extracted children’s comments and opinions on safety sign design through their drawings. Sixty-five primary school children in Hong Kong aged seven to 12 were asked to draw 12 safety signs and their responses and drawings were then analysed. It was found that the children tended to express their ideas by drawing the signs with different human figures, symbols, environments, tangible and real objects and consequences. Some of the children’s drawings differed from the registered safety signs, which may be due to the differences between adults’ and children’s cognitive abilities and the way in which children see the world. Five suggestions are proposed to assist designers in designing safety signs for children. These suggestions serve as a starting point for the research and design of signs that consider and value the needs of end users. It is also hoped that the perspectives provided in this article can optimize the design of existing signs to increase children’s understanding.
Keywords:
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and The Hong Kong Institute of Education for the research funds and support to carry out the study. Massachusetts Institute of Technology provided the visiting research fund for the final analysis and preparation of this article.
Notes
1. Ng, Siu, and Chan, “Effects of User Factors.”
2. Chandler, Semiotics: The Basics; Johansen and Larsen, Sign in Use; and Short, Peirce's Theory of Signs.
3. Frutiger, Signs and Symbols, 345.
4. Ibid.
5. Wogalter et al., “Research-based Guidelines.”
6. Shinar et al., “Traffic Sign Symbol Comprehension;” and McDougall et al., “Measuring Symbol and Icon.”
7. Lesch, “Comprehension and Memory.”
8. Ng and Chan, “The Effects of Driver Factors.”
9. Slavin, Educational Psychology.
10. Siu et al., “Children’s Misinterpretation.”
11. Martin and Smith-Jackson, “Evaluation of Pictorial Instructions;” and Waterson et al., “Developing Safety Signs for Children.”
12. Martin and Smith-Jackson, “Evaluation of Pictorial Instructions.”
13. Waterson et al., “Developing safety Signs for Children.”
14. For example, McDougall et al., Measuring Symbol and Icon;” Shinar et al., Traffic Sign Symbol Comprehension;” and Wogalter et al., “Research-based Guidelines.”
15. For example, Martin and Smith-Jackson, “Evaluation of Pictorial Instructions;” and Waterson et al., “Developing Safety Signs for Children.”
16. Al-Madani and Al-Janahi, “Drivers’ Personal Characteristics;” and Ng and Chan, “The Effects of Driver Factors.”
17. International Organization for Standardization, Registered Safety Signs.
18. For example, Martin and Smith-Jackson, “Evaluation of Pictorial Instructions;” and Waterson et al., “Developing Safety Signs for Children.”
19. Mibrath and Trautner, Children’s Understanding and Production; and Patterson and Hayne, “Reports of Emotionally Laden Events.”
20. Guha et al., “Working with Young Children;” Harpham et al., “Participatory Child Poverty Assessment;” MacDonald and Gustafson, “The Role of Design Drawing;” MacDonald et al., “Enhancing Children’s Drawing;” and Kwok, Participatory Research for Children.
21. International Organization for Standardization, “Registered Safety Signs.”
22. Frutiger, Signs and Symbols.
23. Burkitt, “Drawing Conclusion;” Ehrlen, “Drawings as Representation;” Harrison et al., “Children’s Drawing New Perspective;” Hopperstad, “Relationship between Drawing and Interaction;” Jolley, Children and Pictures; Jolley et al., “Development of Expressive Drawing;” and Strauss, Understanding Children’s Drawings.
24. Kwok, Participatory Research for Children.
25. Ng, Siu and Chan, “Perspectives towards Stereotype Production.”
26. Shinar et al., “Traffic Sign Symbol Comprehension.”
27. Waterson et al., “Developing Safety Signs for Children.”
28. Ibid.
29. Ibid.
30. McDougall et al., “Measuring Symbol and Icon;” Shinar et al., “Traffic Sign Symbol Comprehension;” and Waterson et al., “Developing Safety Signs for Children.”
31. Slavin, Educational Psychology.
32. Siu, “Users’ Creative Responses;” and Siu, “User Participation.”