Waiting Room

Synonyms

Lounge, Waiting Area

Category

Travel, Transport Facilities, Public Facilities, Public Services

Message / Function

To indicate a location with seats where people may wait

	Source	Description
1)	O'72	Side view of two seated human figures with clock face overhead
	ISO 7001	Side view of two seated human figures with clock face overhead
	Tern	Side view of two seated human figures with clock face overhead
	ÖNORM A 3011	Side view of two seated human figures with clock face overhead
	D'source	Side view of two seated human figures, clock face overhead
	NS 1980	Side view of seated human figure with suitcase plus clock face overhead
2)	BR 1975	Side view of seated human figure with suitcase plus clock face overhead
	UIC 413	Side view of seated human figure with suitcase plus clock face overhead
	DB 2017	Side view of seated human figure with suitcase plus clock face overhead
	Tern	Side view of seated human figure, suitcase, clock face overhead
	CNIS	Side view of seated human figure with child on lap, clock face overhead
	Zurich Airport	Side view of seated human figure, clock face overhead
3)	UIC 413 b	Side view of seated human figure with newspaper, suitcase plus clock face overhead
	Dreyfuss	Side view of seated human figure with newspaper, suitcase plus clock face overhead
+)	SEGD	Front view of seated human figure holding book, clock face on the left
	PANYNJ	Side view of seated human figure, clock face in top right corner
	AIGA	Side view of seated human figure in chair, clock face on the right
	CNIS	Side view of seated human figure in easy chair plus clock face overhead
*)	Schiphol	Side view of seated human figure in easy chair plus clock face overhead
	Düsseldorf Airport	Side view of seated human figure in easy chair plus clock face overhead
	BS 8501:2002	Side view of seated human figure plus clock face overhead
	Graphic Mall	Clipped side view of seated human figure plus clock face overhead
	D'source	Side view of three seated human figures
	Eco-Mo Foundation	Side view of two seated human figures
	O'72	Side view of two seated human figures reading, horizontal bar above
	Kapitzki	Side view of seated human figure holding newspaper
	CHBA	Front view of seated human figure in easy chair, reading
x)	Hablamos Juntos	Front view of seated human figure in easy chair, reading
	Picto'grafics	Seated human figure
	ATA	Easy chair plus clock face overhead
	Andre Buand	Front view of bench with three seats, clock face overhead
	U.S. National Park Service	Front view of easy chair

Note: Some of the examples shown above were mirrored horizontally to contrast differences.

Discussion

The examples shown above are only a small selection from the wide range of pictograms for Waiting Room or Waiting Area. Regarding the variety of pictograms available, a few elements appear quite consistently in almost all designs: one or two seated persons and a clock face overhead.

Studies from several countries present research covering most concepts found in pictogram variants for this referent:

In the Appropriateness Ranking Tests of the first stage of the ISO 1975 test series (Easterby & Zwaga, 1976) the ATA version above was rated as least comprehensible and therefore dropped out of the further testing procedure. When tested for comprehension in six countries as a next stage, only marginal differences were observed between the three pictogram variants marked 1) to 3), showing a clock and one or two human figures in side view, optionally with suitcase and reading material. Percentages correct registered were between 74 % for the old UIC pictogram labeled 3) and 82 % for the early British Rail pictogram marked 2).

In a later Japanese study to propose domestically unified graphical symbols based on scientific methods, the pictogram variant labeled as Eco-Mo Foundation proved to be sufficiently comprehensible with a comprehension score of 87.8 (Eco-Mo Foundation, 2001). Among Chinese respondents a similar pictogram reached a comprehension score of about 77 (An & Chan, 2017).

The pictogram labeled as NS 1980 above was selected by 60 % of the respondents asked to indicate which sign to follow when looking for a waiting room (data from a Matching Test with a set of 29 symbols by Zwaga & Boersema, 1983). A significant number of respondents selected the pictograms for Coffee Shop and Restaurant, places one possibly could prefer when waiting.

Zwaga & Poppinga examined the pictogram variant labeled Schiphol and marked with *) for the message First and Business Class Lounges in their undated study Identification and Legibility of Graphic Symbols. In the comprehension task according to ISO 9186:1999 this variant from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport reached a comprehension score of 51.5  and an identification score of 88. While the individual elements shown in this pictogram were identified correctly, the intended message was not fully understood by quite a few of the respondents.

The pictogram labeled SEGD and marked with +) 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 it basically works in the USA, as 96 % of the responses from the American sample were judged as correct. But in the Tanzanian sample it became evident that this variant does not work in some regions: it neither performed well among respondents with advanced medical literacy, nor among typical local patients. Wrong answers mainly were related to sitting and reading.

This pictogram, but without a clock, labeled Hablamos Juntos and marked with x) above, was element of a comparison concerning comprehensibility of healthcare symbols between the United States, South Korea, and Turkey (Lee et al., 2014). While 82 % of the answers of the U.S. American respondents could be classified as correct, this was the case for 63 % only in South Korea and 62 % in Turkey. Quite a few of the Turkish and Korean respondents understood this symbol as reading or rest area. When asked which sign to follow when looking for the Waiting Room in a Matching Test with a set fourteen pictograms, 92 % to 100 % of the responses were correct, indicating that this variant might work within a specific environment comprising a limited set of symbols and possible messages. In a study of way-finding symbols for healthcare facilities in the United Arab Emirates this variant reached a similar comprehension score of 69 % correct in a Comprehension Test carried out with a sample consisting mostly of young and well educated respondents (Hashim et al., 2014). These results indicate that the clock seems to be an important element to signify the aspect of waiting.

Recommendation

Based on data known, we recommend the use of Tern Pictogram TS0781 Lounge or Waiting Area, as it is well composed and shows all essential components necessary to signify Waiting Room or Waiting Area. It conforms to ISO 7001, pictogram PI PF 014, but is improved regarding legibility and therefore superior for persons with impaired vision.

Adding elements like a suitcase or reading material might distract from the primary message and shift the focus on aspects like travel or whatever the additional element is associated with.

Tests of pictograms of referent Waiting Room or Lounge

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

Easterby, R.S. & Zwaga, H.J.G. (1976): Evaluation of Public Information Symbols, ISO Tests: 1975 Series. AP Report 60, Department of Applied Psychology, University of Aston, Birmingham, March 1976.

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.

Hashim, M. J., Alkaabi, M. S., & Bharwani, S. (2014): Interpretation of way-finding healthcare symbols by a multicultural population: navigation signage design for global health. Applied ergonomics, 45(3), 503–509. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2013.07.002

Lee, S., Dazkir, S. S., Paik, H. S., & Coskun, A. (2014). Comprehensibility of universal healthcare symbols for wayfinding in healthcare facilities. Applied Ergonomics, 45(4), 878-885. doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2013.11.003

Olmstead, W.T. (1999): The usability of symbols for health care facilities: the effect of culture, gender and age. In: Zwaga, H., Boersema, T. & Hoonhout, H. (Eds.): Visual information for everyday use. London: Taylor & Francis Ltd.

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

Zwaga, H.J. & Boersema, T. (1983): Evaluation of a set of graphic symbols. Applied Ergonomics, 14, 1, 43-54.

Zwaga, H.J.G. & Poppinga, J.: Identification and Legibility of Graphic Symbols; Towards a standard for public information symbols. Internal Report, Psychological Laboratory, University of Utrecht