Designing for Passenger Information Needs h Subway Systems

I nformation that facilitates efficient movement through transit facilities provided by station architecture or by signs is a crucial design factor affecting such issues as passenger security, convenience, and the desire to use transit. The information aspect of station design can also have a major impact on capital and operating costs, The information needs of passengers in transit facilities, however, may be incorrectly perceived by designers because of differences with other environments. Research has shown that, when finding their way through a city, people will define their location in relation to the city’s various physical features. Among these may be landmarks such as tall buildings, major intersections where many vehicular and pedestrian routes converge, or neighborhoods having distinctive identifying qualities. The subway rider, however, is cut off from such surface features and must seek other sources of locational information. This study attempts to determine what method subway riders use to maintain their bearings in relation to the city above, how successful those methods are, and what qualities of the subway environment assist or confound the rider’s way-finding endeavors.