Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Oct 2014

Increasing Accessibility with a Visual Sign System: A Case Study

Wendy Winn Appalachian State University

Abstract

Visual sign systems have become an essential means of communication in places where large numbers of people of different nationalities gather, such as at international airports and the Olympic Games. That they can effectively increase accessibility among users not necessarily sharing a common language speaks to their potential usefulness in other situations. A homeless shelter in a western North Carolina community received funding to build a new facility. With the clientele's widely diverse communication abilities, including those who are illiterate or have limited reading skills, those who are non-native speakers knowing little to no English, and those who are coming from different cultural contexts, a visual sign system was designed to facilitate navigation for all visitors. Using Peirce's theory of signs, Neurath's ISOTYPE, and the least action principle borrowed from physics as a framework, this case study shows how the signs were designed and usability tested to ensure increased accessibility.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2014-10-01
DOI
10.2190/tw.44.4.f
Open Access
Closed
Topics
writing across the curriculum qualitative research multimodality technical communication disability studies

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Li et al. (2021)
    Getting the Picture: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Chinese and Western Users’ …
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

Cites in this index (1)

  1. Winn (2009)
    “Proof” in Pictures: Visual Evidence and Meaning Making in the Ivory-Billed Woo…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Also cites 9 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.2190/RAAC4
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  2. 10.1109/47.475590
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  3. Liszka J. (1996)
    A General Introduction to the Semeiotic of Charles Sanders Peirce
     ↗
  4. 10.4324/9780203166277
     ↗
  5. 10.1017/S0007087400014229
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  6. 10.1007/BF00053495
     ↗
  7. 10.2307/1511484
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  8. 10.18848/1833-1874/CGP/v03i06/37788
     ↗
  9. 10.18848/1833-1874/CGP/v03i06/37787
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 1 View in citation network →

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