General Development Process for In-Vehicle Icons [tech brief]

Campbell, John · 2003 · ROSA P / United States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Research, Development, and Technology

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Summary

This paper outlines a systematic, human-factors-based process for developing and evaluating in-vehicle icons, addressing the lack of standardized guidelines that often leads to driver confusion and inconsistent design in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). The research was motivated by the need to replace intuitive or consensus-based design methods with empirically validated procedures that ensure icons are clear, concise, and user-centered. A working group of over 30 experts in icon design, ITS, and human factors contributed to the development of these guidelines, which align with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) frameworks. The proposed development process is iterative and structured into several key phases: identifying the message requiring an icon, reviewing general design issues, consulting relevant standards, generating ideas via production tests, and conducting rigorous evaluations. The evaluation phase focuses on legibility, recognizability, and interpretability. The paper details specific design principles, such as using image-related icons whenever possible, avoiding arbitrary symbols unless contextually supported, and adhering to Gestalt perceptual principles like figure/ground relationships, closure, and simplicity. Specific technical guidelines include designing symbols on a 20x20 unit grid, ensuring significant details subtend at least 3 degrees of visual angle, and selecting appropriate levels of realism (e.g., silhouettes for distinct profiles, photographic realism for complex landmarks). The core of the methodology involves comprehensive comprehension testing. This process requires preparing test materials that mimic production conditions, recruiting 30–40 representative licensed drivers, and presenting icons with appropriate contextual cues. Subjects’ responses are categorized using a nine-point scale ranging from exact matches to critical confusions (where the icon conveys the opposite intended meaning). The paper specifies that ISO standards require a minimum 66% correct comprehension rate (combining exact and near-exact matches), while American National Standards Institute (ANSI) guidelines require 85%. Additionally, ANSI mandates the rejection of icons that generate more than 5% critical confusions in samples of at least 50 participants. The analysis emphasizes not just the overall correct rate but the distribution of errors to diagnose design flaws. The significance of this work lies in providing a rigorous, evidence-based framework that reduces the time from conceptualization to implementation while improving initial icon quality. The findings support the development of "Icon IDEA," an interactive tool containing a database of over 400 candidate icons with evaluation ratings and design recommendations. By enforcing empirical validation and standardized design principles, this process aims to enhance driver safety and system performance by ensuring that in-vehicle messages are quickly and accurately recognized across diverse user groups and driving contexts.

Key finding

The report establishes a systematic framework for in-vehicle icon development that integrates general design principles with rigorous empirical evaluation procedures, including comprehension testing and matching tests, to ensure driver safety and usability.

Methodology

review

Provenance

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Topics

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• display design

Information type

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• Applied Guidance: design guidelines