Road users find new design clearer than old
In tests, a majority of English speaking road users chose colour-differentiated languages in the test typeface design over Ireland’s existing signs, and over UK-style signs as used in Wales.
The new proposal with the Turas test typeface (font), shown left, is designed to preserve the shape of words, an important factor in word recognition at speed, and to resist the negative effects on signs caused by modern headlights. Each letter shape has been optimised for this purpose.
Results of research
58% of those tested found the prototype colour differentiated signs clearer than the existing Irish sign design. In testing new solutions people will, in general, pick the familiar rather than any change in design so the strength of this result came as something of a surprise.
The limit of this form of testing is that, in asking users to make decisions about clarity*, it is useful, but not a replacement for tests at speed using a simulator - or better still an actual road test.
The current Welsh bilingual design fared even worse with an overwhelming 79% of respondents finding the prototype design clearer. Again, a factor here is the familiarity of the current Irish design with Irish road users.
Time for a full programme of testing?
Given that the current Irish road signs design has never been subjected to user testing, I believe this gives good grounds to undertake some comparative testing. The cost of testing is minimal relative to the cost of signs, in particular the use of larger signs where better designed signs would suffice. Of course there are other factors including safety, efficiency, national identity and language.Other Articles
Irish language user test results, here
Creating and testing design variants, here
*Users were asked to compare signs with the same destinations and choose the clearer option, data based on 65 respondents.