User and SIGN Study -Case on Taipei MRT Station
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User and SIGN Study -Case on Taipei MRT Station Chen Ming Shih*, Chen Tzu Yi** *Tunghai University, Department of Industrial Design, Box965 181 Sec.3 Chung-Gang Rd, Taichung 407, TAIWAN [email protected] **Tunghai University, Department of Industrial Design, Box965 181 Sec.3 Chung-Gang Rd, Taichung 407, TAIWAN [email protected] Abstract: Aging Society is a trend in the whole world not to be ignored, the establishment and maintenance of a living environment of easy movement to the elder is also an important task. Mass Rapid Transit Systems in Taiwan provides a convenient way of transportation. With the increase of passengers, crossing routes, which make the stations designed in multiple horizontal levels, are planned. If able to think from the users' perspective and good SIGN design to support the system to provide an unobstructed transportation behavior. Therefore, the doubt, anxiety, even trouble of retracing and getting lost caused by complicated transfer routes can be avoided. The elders are different from ordinary users in physiological, psychological, intellectual conditions and the capability of routing because of the aging process. My case study chose the elders which are able to move independently. In addition, the investigation was held in the most crowded transport station in Taiwan: Zhong Xiao Fu Xing Station. First is to observe the information objects, to classify the information objects by function and type, and then by using unstandardized nonparticipant method to study the factors(routing changes, passenger flow, floor configurations) and the elders' capability (movement characteristics, routing capability, experience) in the public area to speculate the relation between the information objects and the users of the metro stations. By discussing the relation between the metro station and the elders' transportation behaviors, it is expected to understand the elders' needs of information objects in the process of transferring trains. Key words: Elder, SIGN , routing , MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) Station 1. Introduction 13.13% compared with May 2006. The data shows the Taiwan, like other parts of the world, is facing the increasing transportation demand. Therefore, there were impact of an aging society. Therefore, I have been several new routes established these years. The objective researching in elderly living products in the recent years. is to create a compact metro network system. So it is found that the elders have the living habits such as interchange stations appeared. These stations have to regularly going to the hospital or suburban touring. The include transferring routes, shopping streets and such most frequently used means of transport are buses and multi-functions. The traditional flat structured station MRT . But the elders, because of the degradation of doesn't have the capacity to contain such space physical functioning, are different to ordinary people. utilization. So the metro stations were designed in Mass transportation stations are not planned and multi-story structures. However, the complicated routes designed from the users' perspective. So the going up and down cause a lot of encumbrance, both establishment and maintenance of a living environment physically and psychologically, and could cause doubt, of easy movement to the elder has become an important anxiety, even trouble of retracing and getting lost in the social consciousness and task. process of routing. Taipei MRT, with the progressive completion, opened TRTC (Taipei Rapid Transit Company) set up many in 1996, not only provided a fast and safe transportation, temporary information objects. The original purpose of but also became an indispensable way of transportation these information objects was to assist passengers, but is in urban life. According to the government data, there ineffective because of disorder, and the lack of were 34.92 million passengers in May 2007, increasing integration. There is also problems like old or unclear signs which need to be adjusted and planned facilities; for example, Hu using post-occupancy method systematically. to explore sign system design, proposing assessment Well-designed MRT station interchange will help criteria environment of the sign system within Taipei visitors arrive to their destination. Researches in the past train station, using the post-event questionnaire to shows that signs are the most direct support facilities for understand the routing of the passengers. There is also the passengers. This study uses the users' movement Huang using a level analysis to establish the stations' perspective for investigation, hoping, regardless of the routing design assessment models, But researchers lack users' physical abilities, the station's signs achieve the information of the user's routing ability and the analysis ideal "easy-to-use environment or product suitable for all comparison of the routes of transferring trains and the regardless of gender, age." setting of signs. Because the interchange stations have noticeably more 2. Method passengers than single route stations, passengers get oppression and anxiety more easily, complex paths in the 2.1 Study Positioning transferring routes are also one of the main reason of 1. Routing capability getting confused. Therefore the complicated interchange Authar (1992) thinks that "routing, is seeking to find the stations are chosen for the investigation, which is helpful answer to space problems, including the sensations and to see if the signs meet the needs in utilization. cognition to the environment, turning the information 2. Sign content into the routing decision-making and action plan, and put In accordance with domestic scholars' classification, the plans in action at the appropriate location." Position, visual guidance signs are divided into the following five guiding, and confirmation are three important concept of categories: routing , and principles of routing include the (1) Identification Signs establishment of the sense of space, providing regular To help users identify their destination, or cognition of guiding clues, and understand different users' needs in specific locations. Usually are "scattered" landmark using the same space. Domestic scholars class the factors features. affecting routing into three categories : (2) Direction Signs (1) Personal factors: Pointing out the direction of the destination. It is a Including physical, psychological characteristics and guiding and continuous facility or object. It must be set intelligence differences. The design of information must up and adjusted according to measurement of the users' take personal perceptual and cognitive differences into movement situation. consideration, especially learning abilities have the (3) Orientation Signs greatest effect. Making people understand their own location and (2) Characteristics of the space environment: direction, accordingly explaining the relations between Including the complexity of the planar floor, the individual locations. For example, maps, floor plans, the number of decision points. Complexity of the planar entrance plans. These signs are located in forked paths, floor is the key factor. Uncertainties from the decision transfer stations, and important corners. points is losing one's way in the process of routing. Best (4) Explanation Signs (1970) has confirmed that complicated routes with Contains information such as explanations, bulletins, excessive decision-making points has great relation with descriptions, which tell the objects' functions and usage. it. It can be in the form of a bulletin board, description (3) Content of sign system: board, electronic bulletin board, schedules etc. including the text, graphics, arrows, color (5) Regulatory Sign combinations of the software, and also some variations To remind, forbid, and manage the public behavior of material, form, size of the hardware. Its content design, standards, it needs to be quickly understood, and are the location and quantity have great impact on the mostly in image or symbols as the message content, and routing behavior. are divided into the following three : In researches about transportation stations, mostly (a) Prohibition Sign concentrate on space features or configuration of (b) Warning Sign (c) Mandatory Sign behavioral mapping we record the routes in the routing In addition, studies in Japan class the forms of signs into behavior and the relation between each factor. hanged type, standing type, site type, wall-type. Understood and take advantage users demand of SIGN in transfer’s process. Investigation time is 9:00-12:00; 13:00-18:00 o'clock on March 13, 2007.Use DVD as our tools to record all of the observation happened. 3. Results and Discussions 3.1 Present disposal of sign 1. Content types (a) Identification signs Figure 1. Intelligence information object expression styles In this study, two terms, intelligence and information, will be coordinated into a form of object, generally figure 2. Station identification called "sign." In field surveys, identification, guidance, location, bulletin, and regulations are cross-classified and recorded with the forms of signs. 2.2 The contents of investigation The research sample is set to interchange stations, so figure 3. Restroom figure 4. Women waiting zone the station located in the most crowded business district (b) Direction signs in Taipei, Zhong Xiao Fu Xing Station. It is the Medium-Capacity interchange station of Banciao/Nangang Line and Muzha Line and is a flyover type architectural design. It includes the