Can you see the important sign on the wall? I may have helped by centering it within the composition. The sign I want you to focus your attention on describes the evacuation of the room during an emergency. If you were not familiar with the room, would you find this sign quickly among the other wall posts and objects? Though containing helpful and necessary content for an evacuation, that sign needs refinement for quick identification to provide helpful, life-saving instructions.
An effective information sign expresses a message quickly and abridged. That effectiveness occurs when the message has been carefully considered with a sound design providing the appropriate focus and attraction. It needs good design. Good design does not come naturally nor easy. What is good design? By one perspective, it is a concentration of an experienced use of visual elements and principles to productively convey a message in the proper economy. Imparting a message depends on for what and for why with the right how. The design transfers the message for a specific audience: does the design need to be clear and concise? or can the design be entertaining? mysterious? cleverly artful and inventive? does the design simultaneously support the message and its content? I have made a few attempts to define design in previous entries; but this entry explores how a life-saving message could have considered the basic expectations that identifies emergency posts to quickly assist the viewer/searcher.
The important directions to evacuate the room has to have the right identity to visually provide the order and message to and for the viewer. People, generally, in developed regions have become accustomed to cues that direct a specific response. For example, road signs provide guidance cues that identify its purpose and reaction: red indicates a stop at an intersection, cautions when in a triangle for yielding, or entering in the wrong traffic direction; yellow signals a warning while continuing through an area such as a construction site or slippery road, or the amber light at an intersection which essentially alerts the driver to prepare to stop; and green announces a go or proceed in a direction through an intersection, generally a street name to verify a location, or navigational instruction on a highway. With all of these cases, the color and message relies on the context of its environment and purpose. An emergency-exit sign could use an alert color to attract attention and concise text to quickly display the path out.
There is a color system for emergency codes. These colors indicate a specific circumstance by a quick warning without confusion. A shorter phrase using easily identifiable words provides an unmistakable message to evoke the proper responses. Of course the color and its emergency type is not common language but something that requires learning. For example, code red would be a fire, and code blue means medical emergency. Unfortunately, most of these color assignments may not be universally designated within all emergency locations or regions; however, in general a system developed for a purpose and practiced could essentially provide adequate information in a shorter period of time. Would a system be a benefit? Is there a difference between saying “Code Silver” compare to “Active Shooter on the premises” for staff and/or visitors alike? In user experience speak, that depends but the systemic practice needs a foundation and an organization to develop and to support it. For an emergency egress, exit signs have been marked both red and green. Why the difference? In this case, both colors have been utilized as egress indicators. The colors may have some significance to a person’s attention, the design and attraction based on the state of the environment, or directed by code mandates. Again, we cannot rely on it being completely consistent—”in Helena, Montana you’ll notice orange exit signs as well” (safetycal.com).
Along with color to call attention, an emergency situation requires quick, clear and concise information. For our exit sign, there are a few concerns that make this post an effort to read.
The escapee should not be required to read a lengthy sentence to learn how to exit. “Students in Rooms 300, 301, 202, Computer and Auditorium will use the North Stairway to the North Exit.” This full sentence requires them to read twelve words before revealing the structure. Before the reader can reach that information, they are notified that the direction is for “students.” But anybody and everybody in the room will need to leave the premises to a safe location—students are not the only individuals. Typically in the process of exiting, a supervising adult guides the students and makes a final visual sweep to ensure all people have left. Should anybody need to evaluate what the room number is to leave the room? No. The sign gave a list of five rooms by number and function. The person cares more about how to get out than what the room number is. Essentially, they are in a room. They have already entered this room. They need to get out.
Finally twelve words later, the directions provide a specific staircase by name. The reader will assume that the staircase must be near the door and would be clearly labeled as North Stairway. Yet another sign to look for and read. I would definitely be certain that hardly anybody would have a compass on their person to determine a north direction as a logical course for that specific staircase. Once they have reached the stairs, the immediate and intuitive action is to go down and exit a door. The complete sentence indicated to leave by the North Exit. Again, the fleeing people with a goal to survive hope to find a sign that indicates the door or how to get to it. Once they exit through the door the guidelines end there with no lead for a gathering area. In this instance then the people fend for themselves with no assurance that someone has checked that everybody in that room safely got out. The instructions should not leave a lot of confusion or assumptions. The instructions should provide definite steps to exit the building. Phrasing is part of the design. Along with the presentation of the information, what information is to be delivered matters as well. A design executed with precision and experience producing the optimal visual message will have no value if the message does not have meaning. Rewriting the sentence into steps of quick command phrases provide information in terse rhythm without confusion.
Still the room has emergency exit instructions which is better than none. During an emergency, time is of an essence. Typically in these environments, emergency evacuations are usually rehearsed several times by drills. The occupants over time will have process and guidance by the instructor who usually has a permanent stay in this room and knows the proper exit path. However, what about these hypotheticals: what if it is the start of the year with an immediate need to leave? a substitute? a new teacher? an emergency personnel who entered through the window and the exit access has to be through the door?
With all the previously described concerns, the post designed in the same dimensional constraints could be this design:
This suggested sign implements the previously described concerns and refinements. A color generally associated for alerts borders the whole message while highlighting the title of its purpose. A bold block typeface with legible letter-spacing displays the message clearly. Quick command statements provide the exact information without extraneous details in a complete sentence. Take an assumption that this building has a field across a road, adding this phrase addresses the meeting area so the supervisor can conduct a roster to assure everyone left the room and building. Providing that this building has several rooms, this sign has space to accommodate more steps for additional direction statements.
This post does not work to punish the producer of this sign—this is not the intention. Design is a practice that takes time, practice and experience to be successful. My suggestion may not be the best either. Still a designed object may produce something that does not work. My goal was to convey a reflection and describe how design benefits the message and the audience. Like a humorous post how good grammar can save lives (Let’s eat grandma. Let’s eat, grandma.) good design can do the same.