A User-Specific Passenger Guidance System Aimed at Universal Design

摘要

As can be seen from signs in train stations, the guidance information displayed appears as a notice on a bulletin board and is mostly designed for an unspecified majority. When using railways, however, passengers are required to look for the information they need, make judgements and act independently. Although these thought processes are usually automatic, users must think actively when train operation is disturbed or when using unfamiliar stations, which may confuse some passengers. Conversely, physically handicapped people have difficulty using railways even in normal situations. In 2000, the traffic barrier-free law was passed to increase railway operators' awareness of barrier-free facilities. However, barrier-free measures are currently limited to escalators, elevators and other physical facilities. When viewed from the standpoint of a range of users, it is important to introduce not only barrier-free facilities but also barrier-free measures in information provision systems. To create railway stations friendly to all users, universal design is also an important matter. This paper introduces a method of achieving a user-specific passenger guidance system aimed at universal design and a prototype system.