Enhancing Airport Wayfinding for Aging Travelers and Persons with Disabilities (2017) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 203-256
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203 8.1 Overview Opportunities for air travel have grown significantly in recent years, with cheaper flights serving a wider range of destinations. For many people, this has made flying a more common experience.
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204 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities Although laws like the ADA predate the digital revolution, they are applied to the products and services that have come out of the digital revolution, bounded variously by considerations of undue burden, infeasibility and fundamental alteration. Some laws, like Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C.
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 205 a disability may encounter one or more barriers that can be eliminated or minimized by the software or web developer, the assistive technology, or the underlying operating system software and hardware platform. The four main categories of disabilities are visual, hearing, mobility, and cognitive, as discussed in detail in Chapter 2.
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206 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities provide similar accommodation request forms and to the meet accessibility requirements of the WCAG (WCAG 2.0 Level AA) on webpages providing core travel information and services.
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 207 • Data tables have the column and row headers appropriately identified (using the tag)
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208 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 8.3 Mobile Wayfinding Applications 8.3.1 Overview Smartphones and tablet personal computers have revolutionized mobile technology and the way we communicate today. They have also transformed the assistive technology market for people with disabilities.
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 209 general public, people with mobility disabilities, and people with vision disabilities. However, to date, no application has been developed that provides essential route information in a way that is accessible to all users.
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210 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities which is good news for the airport's tenants. Ultimately, these technologies promise to enhance the wayfinding experience within an airport for all travelers.
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 211 developed that is usable by people with a wide range of physical, sensory, and cognitive abilities. Developing one application that is useful to and usable by all users rather than developing many specialized applications to meet the needs each specific user group is not only practical and cost-effective, it also has implications for participation of all individuals in society.
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212 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 8.3.4.1 Design the Application for a Wide Range of Devices Applications should be compatible with as many desktop and mobile devices as possible to accommodate needs for different size screens and interfaces. DO DON'T Test orientation and movement-based features (e.g., instructions/pictures based on the direction the user is facing, augmented reality displays)
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 213 8.3.4.3 Provide Accurate, Real-Time Position Data Indoor positioning systems at airports must be able to provide accurate, real-time position data to the application once the device is on-site. Methods of obtaining position accuracy and range of accuracy include, but are not limited to: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth low-energy beacons, radio frequency identification/near field communication (RFID/NFC)
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214 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities DO DON'T Ensure that any features based on indoor positioning system infrastructure are tested on-site with a wide variety of devices (e.g., high cost and low cost devices, different operating system versions) before offering these features to users.
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 215 8.3.4.4 Maximize the Active Areas of the Screen Include an option to limit and/or block unwanted information on a screen, thus enabling active areas of the screen to be as large as possible, providing users with reasonable operating focus, and reducing the display complexity for users with intellectual disabilities. Source: ACRP Project 07-13 Research Team Figure 8-4.
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216 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities Provide options for simultaneous visual (e.g., icons, text, and color) , audio, and tactile outputs for redundant cueing.
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 217 Provide choice in moving forward and back between screens, including scrolling as well as touch buttons such as "forward/next" or arrows. Allow users to "hyper-personalize" the application via a user profile that accounts not just for their specific abilities but also preferences (e.g., family restrooms versus wheelchair stall)
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218 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities DO DON'T Provide range of font sizes, contrast options, size of objects, and amount of information on screen. Very small font -- -X -- -Very large font Normal contrast -- -X -- -High contrast Normal text -- -X -- -Very large text Put dark text on a light background or light text on a dark background.
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 219 DO DON'T TACTILE Types and intensity of vibration No vibration -- -X -- -Vibrate for all prompts TACTILE Provide range controls using sliders that require fine motor control and cannot be changed via buttons or external controllers. Support only devices with small screens.
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220 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 8.3.4.7 Provide Simple Navigation Instructions Instructions should be simple and to the point. Include directional information necessary to get from one point to the next.
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 221 8.3.4.8 Provide Information in Order Consistent with Order of Use and Importance Show information to the user in the order in which they will need it. Put important information first, followed by less important information.
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222 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 8.3.4.11 Advance Planning The ability to plan in advance is very important to both persons with disabilities and older travelers. Wayfinding apps should allow users to map their routes before arriving at the airport and know both distances and approximate times needed to/from the gate.
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 223 8.3.4.13 Simple Directions and Instructions Directions and destinations should avoid unfamiliar terminology that is not commonly used. DO DON'T Water Fountain Restroom/Bathroom Boarding Area Hydration Station Lavatory Terminal Convey wayfinding information using as many multisensory cues as possible including tactile (floor or wall)
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224 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 8.3.4.14 Seamless Integration of Outdoor and Indoor Navigation Allow users to move seamlessly from outdoor GPS navigation to the indoor navigation system provided by the airport. The fact that separate positioning technologies are implemented for indoors versus outdoor navigation should be completely transparent to the user if possible.
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 225 8.3.4.16 Alternative Destinations Do not assume that the departure gate is always the primary or immediate destination. Applications should provide information about alternative destinations (e.g., what's nearby)
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226 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities iPhone users are accustomed to iPhone applications typically providing similar options for navigation within the application, and Android users are accustomed to Android applications typically providing similar options for navigation within those applications. However, adopting Android in-application navigation design in an iPhone application would be confusing to iPhone users, as would adopting iPhone in-application navigation design in an Android application.
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 227 DO DON'T Incorporate user tips to facilitate getting around the airport, such as before going through security (have your ID out, wheelchair may cause delay, etc.) , finding where to park, and accessing assistance, etc.
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228 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities DO DON'T Locate buttons along the top, bottom, and sides of the interface where they can be easily found and pressed. Define the order for screen reading elements to match the logical order in which the information should be presented to the user.
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 229 8.4.3 Components Components of a help/call point include the following: • Analog, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , or wireless telephone in a vandal- and weather- resistant enclosure • Installation that is highly visible and well-marked • Single or dual autodial buttons • Raised text button legend with Braille • Enabled for hearing loop • Hands-free operation • Audio-visual ring indicator • Connection to a central monitoring station 8.4.4 Implementation Help/call points can be connected via a range of technologies -- VoIP, global system for mobile communications (GSM)
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230 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 8.5 Interactive Kiosks 8.5.1 Overview Interactive kiosks are computer terminals utilizing specialized hardware and software that provide self-service access to information and applications (see Figure 8-7)
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 231 can pose a wide variety of problems for users with various types of disabilities if accessibility features are not implemented correctly. In general, it appears that most of the accessibility concerns relating to automated public kiosks fall into two broad categories: • Kiosk environment and structure.
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232 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities Placement of components also determines maximum height. A shelf should range from 28 inches to a maximum of 34 inches from the floor (ADA Standards §902.3)
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 233 These technical standards touch on additional issues such as control of animation and seizure flash threshold for visual outputs, which the U.S. DOT did not initially include in its requirements for airport automated kiosks.
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234 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities mechanisms that provide feedback about which parts of the application are used, how long users stay at the kiosk, and other data. Many kiosk developers are using their website as the basis for their kiosk application.
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 235 • Provide documentation in an accessible format. • Support alternatives to audio information.
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236 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities Because of the critical nature of an AODB and the impact it has on the airport's operation, it is not an ideal location in which to store the assets and information required for a digital passenger wayfinding and information system. Depending on the size of the facility and program, a digital signage database (DSDB)
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Source: ACRP Project 07-13 Research Team Figure 8-10. Database interconnectivity diagram using metadata.
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238 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities A data flow diagram is a visual representation of the method by which data are delivered to a passenger through a graphical interface. Typically, a similarly designed system requires an input device through which a passenger offers the system information in order for it to provide a customized response.
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 239 8.6 Digital Wayfinding Directories 8.6.1 Overview Digital signage is the management and delivery of digital video, audio, and information through a network to display devices to attract or reach a captive audience. The term "digital wayfinding directory" refers to any network of displays, usually LCD or LED screens, which display static, dynamic, or interactive content utilized to assist a traveler in the process of navigating their way through a built environment (see Figure 8-14)
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240 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities that the travel experience can be greatly improved through the use of digital wayfinding signage (Slawsky December 30, 2010)
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 241 Recent technological developments allow for mobile integration. Any device that can be connected to the internet (i.e., smartphones and tablets)
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242 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities • Implement the physical hardware and perform thorough testing to confirm operation. • Maintain the databases (Dern November 4, 2013)
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 243 design will also include how to accommodate merchandising or real-time features associated with the network.
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244 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities In a large-scale system deployment, the initial implementation will be a pilot project in one or more representative locations. The pilot is tightly managed and controlled so that maximum learning can occur and be incorporated as the system is refined and rolled out on a larger scale later.
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 245 multiple and diverse skill sets. The required commitment is also significant.
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246 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities For an airport, it's crucial that people are informed with flight information that is both accurate and up-to-date. To achieve this, nearly every airport nowadays has a FIDS.
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 247 The most visible part of a FIDS is the digital screens found all around an airport terminal -- overview screens in the arrival and departure hall, screens above the check-in counters, and screens at the gates and baggage belts. Ideally, every place where a passenger is expected to make a decision or to look for information should have one or more screens.
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248 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities Digital signage placement is just as important as the relevance of content on the screen because a screen that is placed where it cannot be viewed is ineffective. Signage placement decisions involve a number of factors like size and positioning of the screen, layout of the establishment, and the height of potential viewers.
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 249 • Attention zone -- the viewing area that extends 20 degrees vertically and 30 degrees horizontally about the line of sight. The geometry of angular distances dictates that in order for a screen that is placed 20 feet away from a viewer to fall within the viewer's attention zone, the screen has to be placed at a height that is within 7.28 feet of eye level of the viewer.
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250 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 2. An induction loop amplifier -- a special amplifier that is connected to the various sound sources and amplifies the sound as an electrical signal into a loop.
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 251 who are deaf or hard of hearing through monitors, electronic message boards, or other forms of dynamic displays in order to provide equal access. Passenger paging systems are those systems used to communicate information to the passenger.
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252 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities The displays can show • Gate status graphical display • Flight status graphical display • Airline information • Boarding process status • Boarding by row number • Destination city weather maps 8.9.3 Components Normally, a visual paging component is integrated with the audio-based overhead PA system and the visual-based digital signage network (see Figures 8-21 and 8-22)
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 253 same information broadcast in an audio announcement to be delivered in a visual format so that travelers who are deaf or hard of hearing can also receive the message. The main components of a visual paging system consist of • Digital visual paging displays • Centralized system controller • Networked software • Ethernet switch 8.10 MNSs 8.10.1 Overview An MNS is an integrated platform to deliver messages to a small or large group of people.
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254 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities security system, visual paging system, data network, and dynamic messaging system. The MNS will deliver messaging via • Intelligible voice communications • Visible signals (fire alarm system strobes)
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Wayfinding technologies for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities 255 is currently defined in NFPA 72 Appendix D Testing includes and assumes messages are in the listener's native language and assumes normal hearing: • Signal-to-Noise Ratio – Voice announcement should average 15 dB over ambient • Frequency Range – 400–4,000 Hz • Speech Transmission Index • Distortion – >15 percent distortion considered non-intelligible The visual messaging portion of an MNS also needs to be intelligible.
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256 enhancing airport Wayfinding for aging travelers and persons with Disabilities that is enhanced with the integration of visual messaging systems, mobile applications, and hearing loops. All of these systems should follow relevant best practices.
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