Basketball

Synonyms / Other Terms Used

Streetball

Category

Sports, Ball Sports, Sporting Activities, Activities, Recreation, Tourism

Message / Function

For notice in general and to indicate the possibility of playing basketball

	Source	Description
	O'72	Two human figures reaching to the bucket
	BS 8501:2002	Side view of human figure dunking ball into bucket
	Erco	Side view of human figure dunking ball into bucket
	SVI	Side view of human figure throwing ball towards bucket
	CNIS	Side view of human figure throwing ball towards bucket
	O'21	Side view of human figure before dunking ball into bucket
	Sagamihara	Side view of human figure throwing ball towards bucket
	Wien BfS	Side view of human figure dribbling
	O'84	Side view of human figure dribbling
	O'96	Side view of human figure dribbling
	Stanley Park	Side view of human figure dribbling
	O'80	Side view of human figure dribbling
	O'64	Side view of human figure dribbling
	NYC BBP	Frontal view of human figure throwing ball, legs far apart
	Sabuhi Novruzov	Basketball and rim with net on backboard below
	O'68	Basketball and bucket below
	MDCT	Basketball and bucket below
	Pacific Bell	Basketball rim with net
	Rutmer Zijlstra	Frontal view of basketball backboard with basket / hoop
	freizeitkarte osm.de	Side view of rim with net mounted on stand
	myloview lar01joka	Basketball
	EJP	Basketball
	O'24	Basketballs plus birds eye view of part of field

Discussion

The examples shown above are only a small selection from the wide range of pictograms and symbols for the message Basketball. This set of symbols already indicates that possibly no single visual stereotype exists concerning this referent.

In our research we discovered that there is only very limited test data available:

Fiori (2008) examined a map symbol similar to the pictogram from Erco on basis of a Comprehension Test, where 79.7 % of the responses were classified as correct. It seems that showing one or two human figures plus ball near the bucket, as for example displayed in ten of fifteen Summer Olympic Basketball pictograms, is well comprehensible and possibly superior to renderings of players dribbling.

Recommendations

Due to the limited data available, we recommend research using the Comprehensibility Estimation procedure for eliminating poor variants and identifying the best of the set available, followed by a Comprehension Test. These studies should deliver useful data for recommending one or several pictograms. Detailed information about the most frequent responses given in each of the response categories of the Comprehension Test should be provided to correctly judge comprehensibility and improve designs. Also information concerning knowledge about this kind of sport should be collected at the end of the test, as the degree of familiarity with the referent examined has a significant impact on the validity of the data collected.

Tests of pictograms of referent Basketball

Fiori, S. R. (2008): Mapas para o turismo e a interatividade - proposta teórica e prática. Tese de Doutorado - Depto. de Geografia, FFLCH-USP.