Principle 4   PERCEPTIBLE INFORMATION

The design effectively gives necessary user information, regardless of prevailing conditions or sensory disabilities (e.g., low vision or hearing loss).

Varied methods such as pictures, voice, and touch repeat the important points (redundant cues) so everyone can get it right even in confusing situations. Necessary information is as visible and readable as possible. Product directions and parts are broken into small, easy steps. The design also works for people who use assistive devices to help them see, hear, or touch.

For example:

  • A blind women at a bus stationA women is talking to a receiver at a restroom door The TALKING SIGN SYSTEM presents wayfinding instructions successfully in unfamiliar places despite confusing surroundings or users' sensory limits. They simply point the receiver (including volume control and earphone) at the location or place about which they need information.

    Designer: Smith-Kettlewell/Talking Signs, Inc., San Francisco, CA.


  • The MICONIC ELEVATOR SYSTEM provides audible, visual, and tactile information, and is 'destination-oriented.' Users select the desired floor while in the elevator lobby, then are directed to a specific car that goes to that floor with a minimum number of stops in between.

    Designer: Dr. Ing Joris Schrsder for Schindler Elevator Corporation, Morristown, NJ.

    A women in the elevator touching the screenA man exiting an elevator