Article in:
Information Design Journal: Online-First Articles

An eye-tracking study examining information search in transit maps

Using China’s high-speed railway map as a case study

This study investigates the legibility of China’s high-speed railway map through eye-tracking measurement. The information searching process was identified by conducting: (1) Scoping stage – a user performance test and interview to inform the design of the eye-tracking study; (2) In-depth stage – an eye-tracking study. A number of visual design problems with the map have been identified. This research explores user-centered design map solutions and provides detailed design guidance for transit maps. It also demonstrates that eye-tracking is an effective method of evaluating the design quality of a transit map as it can identify design limitations and user needs.
Keywords: information design, visualization, legibility, eye tracking, map design
Published online: 10 May 2021
https://doi.org/10.1075/idj.20011.wan
References

References

Agrawala, M. & Stolte, C.
(2001) Rendering effective route maps: Improving usability through generalization. Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, 21(3), 12–17. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Avineri, E. & Prashker, J.
(2006) The impact of travel time information on travelers’ learning under uncertainty. Transportation, 33(4), 393–408. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Bain, P.
(2010) Aspects of transit map design. Parsons Journal for Information Mapping, 2(3), 6–11.Google Scholar
Beck, M. R., Trenchard, M., van Lamsweerde, A., Goldstein, R. R., & Lohrenz, M.
(2012) Searching in clutter: Visual attention strategies of expert pilots. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 56, 1411–1415. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Bertin, J. & Berg, W.
(2011) Semiology of graphics. Redlands, ESRI Press.Google Scholar
Brychtova, A., & Coltekin, A.
(2016) An empirical user study for measuring the influence of colour distance and dont size in map reading using eye tracking. The Cartographic Journal, 53(3), 202–212. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Chang, T., Yang, D., Yang, Y., Huo, J., Wang, G. & Xiong, C.
(2018) Impact of urban rail transit on business districts based on time distance: Urumqi Light Rail. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 144(3), 18–24. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
De Smet, M., Leijten, M. & Van Waes, L.
(2018) Exploring the process of reading during writing using eye tracking and keystroke logging. Written Communication, 35(4), 411–447. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
De Smet, B., Lempereur, L., Sharafi, Z., Guéhéneuc, Y., Antoniol, G. & Habra, N.
(2014) Taupe: Visualizing and analyzing eye-tracking data. Science of Computer Programming, 1(79), 260–278. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Dwyer, T.
(2018) Seeing into screens: eye tracking and the moving image. Bloomsbury Academic. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Dziekan, L.
(2008) The transit experience of newcomers to a city – learning phases, system difficulties, and information search strategies. The 87th Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington DC.Google Scholar
Endsley, M. & Jones, D.
(2012) Designing for situation awareness. CRC Press.Google Scholar
Garland, K.
(2008) Mr Beck’s underground map. Capital Transport.Google Scholar
Grison, E., Gyselinck, V., Burkhardt, J., & Wiener, J.
(2016) Route planning with transportation network maps: an eye-tracking study. Psychological Research, 81(5), 1020–1034. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Guo, Z.
(2011) Mind the map! The impact of transit maps on path choice in public transit. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 45(7), 625–639. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Hadlaw, J.
(2003) The London underground map: Imagining modern time and space. Design Issues, 19(1), 25–35. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Harris, R.
(2007) The elements of visual style. Houghton Mifflin.Google Scholar
Harvey, D.
(1996) Justice, nature and the geography of difference. Blackwell.Google Scholar
Hochmair, H.
(2009) The Influence of Map Design on Route Choice from Public Transportation Maps in Urban Areas. The Cartographic Journal, 46(3), 242–256. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Holmqvist, K., Nyström, N., Andersson, R., Dewhurst, R., Jarodzka, H., & Van de Weijer, J.
(2011) Eye tracking: A comprehensive guide to methods and measures. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Holm, S.
(1979) A simple sequentially rejective multiple test procedure. Scandinavian Journal of Statistics, 6, 65–70.Google Scholar
Holscher, C., Tenbrink, T., & Wiener, J. M.
(2011) Would you follow your own route description? Cognitive strategies in urban route planning. Cognition, 121(2), 228–247. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Kang, Z., Mandal, S., Crutchfield, J., Millan, A. & McClung, S.
(2016) Designs and algorithms to map eye tracking data with dynamic multielement moving objects. Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience, 16(1), 1–18. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
MacEachren, A.
(2008) How maps work: Representation, visualization & design. Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Mot.gov.cn
(2020) Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic of China. http://​www​.mot​.gov​.cn/ [Accessed 19 May 2020]
Netzel, R., Ohlhausen, B., Kurzhals, K., Woods, R., Burch, M. & Weiskopf, D.
(2016) User performance and reading strategies for metro maps: An eye tracking study. Spatial Cognition & Computation, 17(1–2), 39–64. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Nielsen, J. & Pernice, K.
(2010) Eyetracking web usability. New Riders.Google Scholar
Ou, L.
(2019) Influence of colour on visual conspicuity: Taking subway route map as an example . International Commission on Illumination. https://​www​.researchgate​.net​/profile​/Li​_Chen​_Ou [Accessed 13 May 2020]
Sadahiro, Y., Tanabe, T., Pierre, M. & Fujii, K.
(2015) Computer-aided design of bus route maps. Cartography and Geographic Information Science, 43(4), 361–376. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Salvo, M. J.
(2012) Visual rhetoric and big data: Design of future communication. Communication Design Quarterly, 1(1), 37–40. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Sort, J.
(2006) Metropolitan Networks. NAI Boekverkopers.Google Scholar
Wagner, F., Wolff, A., Kapoor, V. & Strijk, T.
(2001) Three rules suffice for good label placement. Algorithmica, 30(2), 334–349. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
William, C.
(2018) Typographic emphasis and contrastive focus: an eye tracking study. [PhD thesis] University of Leeds.Google Scholar