Dermatology

Synonyms / Other Terms Used

Dermatologist, Skin Care

Category

Public Services, Public Facilities, Health Care

Message / Function

To indicate the location of a clinical facility that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the skin, hair, and nails

	Source	Description
	NYCHHC	Hand in plan view partly covered with irregular pattern of dots
50	Hablamos Juntos	Hand in plan view, partly covered with irregular pattern of dots
	CNIS	Side view of hand, circular pattern of dots on wrist, tube with ribbon of ointment above dots
48	Hablamos Juntos	Clipped view of hand, drop dripping from tube above irregular structure on thumb
50	Hablamos Juntos	Side view of face with several dots on forehead, tube with cross and ointment near dots
	SEGD/HJ	Side view of face, hand near dots on cheek or jaw
70	Hablamos Juntos	Frontal view of face, hand near dots on cheek
70	Hablamos Juntos	Clipped view of human figure with magnifying glass looking at dots on shoulder of second human figure
	Dewi Sari	Hand with irregular shape, magnifying glass emphasizing dots on hand
	Dumbar-WH	Frontal view of human figure covered with dots
	D'source	Frontal view of upper part of human figure covered with dots
	Aku-Johnson	Frontal view of upper part of human figure with hands crossed in front of genital area
	Erco	Frontal view of upper part of human figure in outline covered with dots, larger dot in genital area
	Delwar Hossain	Frontal view of face in outline, six dots on face
	Icogenix	Side view of open cream jar in outline, with cross, ointment on top
	Icogenix	Three layers, the outer ones in outline, syringe with needle touching top layer in the middle, angle 45°

Discussion

The examples shown above are a selection from the range of pictograms and symbols available to indicate the location of a clinical facility that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the skin, hair, and nails. No visual stereotype seems to exist for this medical specialization: renderings show various parts of the human body, from detailed views of a hand, the head or face, to large parts of the body, but practically all pictograms display some pattern of dots to indicate a disorder of the skin. Furthermore the use of a magnifying glass, also in the hands of a human figure, and tubes with ointment are image contents used to focus on the ailment.

We found only two studies that present research covering pictogram variants for this referent:

Hablamos Juntos in partnership with SEGD (the Society for Environmental Graphic Design) developed several test designs to signify Dermatology, of which five pictograms were subjected to a test on basis of the Comprehensibility Estimation procedure (Fontaine et al., 2010). With median scores ranging from 70 down to 48 only two of the pictograms examined were judged as rather comprehensible. The numbers next to the pictograms in the table above are the median estimation scores reported for the corresponding pictograms in this study. Regarding these results a new variant was designed, which is labeled as SEGD/HJ above.

In a follow up project also this symbol was examined by Zender & Cassedy (2014) using the ISO/ANSI Open-ended Comprehension Test to find out if this variant is understood just as well in a different culture, and if not, why it does not work. Test results from the United States and Tanzania reveal that this pictogram was correctly understood primarily by local respondents with advanced medical literacy in Tanzania, where 65 % of the responses of this sample could be classified as correct. In the two U.S. samples only 36 % resp. 29 % of the answers given were correct, and just 5 % of the typical local patients in the Tanzanian sample answered correctly. So this variant failed practically in both countries.

In our database we did not find comprehensibility data concerning some other image contents shown, as for example most graphical symbols displayed at the end of the table above.

Recommendations

Due to the fact that data from research is insufficient and results do not indicate success, we recommend developing additional pictograms. Then testing should start with 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 the best pictogram. 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 medical specialization should be collected at the end of the test, as studies suggest that many terms used for healthcare facilities are often not understood well by people visiting hospitals or related institutions.

Tests of pictograms of referent Dermatology

Fontaine, L., Fernández, O., & Middleton, D. (2010): Universal Symbols in Health Care - Symbol Design Research Report. SEGD.

Zender, M., & Cassedy, A.E. (2014): (Mis)understanding: Icon Comprehension in Different Cultural Contexts. Visible Language, 48, 69.