Design of Route Guidance Information for Elderly Bus Passengers: A Research Study

摘要

Due to the increasing number of the elderly population in the United States, moreemphasis has been placed on research for elderly adults in the area of private transportation. There has been very little research done in the area of public transportation specifically for elderly people, however. The purpose of the study is to investigate the route guidance information needs of elderly bus passengers. Ten elderly research participants sixty-five years of age or older were asked to use and evaluate an existing information package provided by a bus system. Based on their recommendations and design guidelines suggested by experts, a new information package was designed. The package was then tested by another ten elderly research participants to see if it was a better design than the original information package. Basic design changes from the original information to the new information included color-coding of routes, simplification of the structure of the map, larger prints, and more messages to inform the users.