Synonyms / Other Terms Used
Left Baggage, Baggage Depot, Baggage Storage, Baggage Checkroom, Left Luggage Service
Category
Public Facilities, Public Services, Travel, Transport Facilities, Tourism, Concessions
Message / Function
To indicate the location of a manned place for the temporary storage of luggage
Source | Description | |
---|---|---|
ISO 7001 | Four assorted pieces of baggage arranged on two shelves in an orderly fashion | |
CNIS | Four assorted pieces of baggage arranged on two shelves in an orderly fashion | |
Eco-Mo Foundation |
Four assorted pieces of baggage arranged on two shelves in an orderly fashion | |
Unknown | Shelve with four pieces of baggage arranged in an orderly fashion | |
ICAO | Three assorted pieces of baggage on a shelve with separation | |
Düsseldorf Airport |
Two assorted pieces of baggage on two shelves | |
Schiphol | Two assorted pieces of baggage on two shelves | |
DB | Two assorted pieces of baggage, one on shelve | |
ÖNORM A 3011:1980 | Two assorted pieces of baggage in container with one open side | |
ON Testdesign | Suitcase and guitar in container with one open side | |
ON Testdesign | Suitcase and golf bag in container with one open side | |
ZRH 1978 | Suitcase and golf bag in container with one open side | |
Erco | Two assorted pieces of baggage with an fat coutline rectangle | |
Icograda | Two assorted pieces of baggage inside coutline rectangle | |
Icograda | Suitcase with round tag inside coutline rectangle | |
NS 1980 | Suitcase inside a closed rectangle with protruding edges | |
UIC 413 b | Suitcase inside closed rectangle with protruding edges | |
AIGA / DOT | Suitcase in container with one open side | |
BTA 1989 | Suitcase above horizontal bar | |
Icograda | Suitcase in a shelve with human figure moving away | |
GTAAC | Suitcase or shopping trolley, key in top right corner | |
WO'72 | Suitcase with round tag | |
ADV | Suitcase |
Discussion
Baggage related messages are mixed up often, especially if pictograms are not designed well or used in an unwise or inappropriate manner. The label Baggage Storage for example is not completely clear, as it may signify either a manned place for the temporary storage of luggage, or just self-service based Luggage Lockers. The referent Left Luggage is supposed to cover the first of these messages, while Luggage Lockers usually are signified by a specific pictogram. Furthermore, in some systems a pictogram showing just a suitcase is used to convey several messages, covering not only Baggage in general, but also Baggage Storage and even Baggage Claim. Results from a Matching Test by Zwaga & Boersema (1983) illustrate the effects on the user.
The first variant in the table above - marked as ISO 7001, but originating from an Icograda student project - was the best performing of thirteen designs evaluated in the ISO test series 1979/80, which included ranking tests as well comprehension testing in several countries (Easterby & Graydon 1981).
An inspection of test results available gives some hints on what might be to regard:
In projects conducted many years after the ones mentioned before, pictogram variants based on ISO 7001 public information symbol PI PF 012 proved to be rather well comprehensible: in a Japanese study to propose domestically unified graphical symbols based on scientific methods, a comprehension score of 72.4 was determined for the pictogram variant labeled as Eco-Mo Foundation (Eco-Mo Foundation, 2001). An & Chan (2017) examined the sign from the Chinese standard GB/T 10001, Public Information Graphical Symbols, labeled CNIS in the table above. About 93 % correct responses among Chinese respondents indicate that this pictogram variant fulfills the corresponding requirements of relevant ISO and ANSI standards.
Recommendations
We recommend the use of a pictogram similar to public information symbol PI PF 012 from ISO 7001, as it contains more than one piece of luggage and more than one filled compartment of a shelve.
For good measure we suggest to conduct a Comprehension Test comparing this concept with a pictogram variant which has less details and may work better for persons with impaired vision, e.g. like the one used at Düsseldorf Airport, to clarify this subject and support or correct this recommendation.
Tests of pictograms of referent Left Luggage
An, D. & Chan, E.H.W. (2017): Investigating the Comprehension of Public Symbols for Wayfinding in Transit Hubs in China. In: Rau, PL. (eds) Cross-Cultural Design. CCD 2017. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 10281. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57931-3_24
Brugger, Ch. (1977): Abschlußbericht über den Erkennungstest. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute, Vienna, 1977-10-04.
Easterby, R.S. & Graydon, I.R. (1981): Evaluation of Public Information Symbols: ISO Test: 1979/80 Series. Part I: Appropriateness Ranking Tests. AP Report 99, Applied Psychology Department, University of Aston in Birmingham, January 1981.
Easterby, R.S. & Graydon, I.R. (1981): Evaluation of Public Information Symbols: ISO 1979/80 Test Series. Part II: Comprehension/Recognition Tests. AP Report 100, Applied Psychology Department, University of Aston in Birmingham, January 1981.
Eco-Mo Foundation (2001): Test data of public information symbols in Japan - Procedure for the testing of public information symbols by the Study Committee. ISO: ISO/TC 145/SC 1 N 329.
Kraft, E. (1976): Ranking-Test. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute (ON) dated 09/76, Vienna.
Zwaga, H.J. & Boersema, T. (1983): Evaluation of a set of graphic symbols. Applied Ergonomics, 14, 1, 43-54.
See also
Baggage, Luggage Lockers
Baggage Check-in, Baggage Claim
Baggage Delivery, Baggage Trolley, Porter
Updated 2024-09-11 by Ch.Brugger