Abstract
Currently, no regulations have been promulgated governing graphical route information panels, and their designs are growing in diversity. In view of the expansion of our network of roads, it is vital to develop guidelines for the design of these panels so that users will find them easy to understand. The present study examined information panels at the Kusatsu junction of the Meishin Expressway. In an indoor experiment using a driving simulator, we investigated what effects user-suggested variations in the display method of information panels had on their comprehensibility and other aspects. Based on user requests to lower the volume of information on such panels, we omitted non-vital information (for example, the destinations of sub-branches from branching roadways and road line not connected to the point which shows required travel time and found that the information panels became more functional and favored by users.
