For the purpose of preventing accidental ingestion of medications by the elderly, 91 elderly persons aged 65 or older were asked about their actual medication use, amongst other things. In addition, for each of eight pictograms, five design samples and 12 colors were presented, and they were asked to choose the design and color that was easiest to understand. Results showed that 88% of participants took their medications regularly and about 12% had experienced medication errors in the past. The most easily recognized patterns were those in which the actual behavior was briefly described and those in which the simple pattern was accompanied by text. However, there were concerns that the text would be too small and difficult to read, and that the Japanese might not be readable by foreigners. The most recognizable color was skin color, followed by black and red. Approximately 80% of the elderly responded that medication pictograms are useful in preventing them from taking the wrong medicine and/or dosage, suggesting the usefulness of medication pictograms.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in ventilation through window opening in various facilities. However, there are concerns that thermal comfort may be impaired during summer and winter. From the author's research findings, it has been indicated that nursery facilities have insufficient ventilation rates and that metabolic equivalents (METs) during childcare activities must be clarified for appropriate ventilation design. This study aims to clarify the indoor environments and physiological responses of young children and nursery teachers in nursery rooms during the summer of the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted field surveys at two nursery facilities in Yokohama. As a result, compared with previous surveys, the temperature and CO₂ concentration in nursery rooms were found to be satisfactory due to increased ventilation and the use of air conditioners. Moreover, both young children and nursery teachers had tympanic temperatures of around 37°C, indicating a low risk of heatstroke. It was confirmed that the mean METs values during childcare activities were above 1.7 METs for both young children and nursery teachers. Furthermore, the measured METs values were higher than those assumed for the current ventilation standards. We also calculated the required ventilation rates for nursery facilities based on these values.

To identify color schemes for ATM machines optimized for those with type 2 dichromatopsia, we recruited 12 university students with normal color vision to assess images of ATM display panels. Students were asked to assess 11 samples (original images) of ATM display panels with different background and text colors on yellowish red as the base color, as well as processed images in which the original images were converted according to the color vision characteristics of deuteranopes. We demonstrated that the color combination with vivid or deep yellowish red as the background and white or light pale tones for the text color were considered easy to read for both the original and processed images. Both the original and processed images showed a strong positive correlation in terms of readability and reliability evaluations. Therefore, using color schemes with high readability may enhance usability and improve the sense of reliability and security for ATM operations. Furthermore, even for color schemes that conform to the standard contrast ratio, some were rated as significantly more "difficult to read" or "less pleasing" than other color schemes. These findings indicate the need for more detailed color scheme standards for each hue.

With the aim of preventing traffic accidents by elderly drivers at night and during rainfall, the visibility of four differently colored (black, navy blue, blue, and transparent) umbrellas with reflective tape in three patterns (four places, around the circumference, and radial) as well as plain umbrellas with no tape attached was examined. 144 image samples taken at 10-meter intervals from distances between 20-100m were evaluated by 20 female students wearing simulated glasses for the elderly. The visibility ratings for plain umbrellas without reflective material was significantly lower for the transparent umbrellas versus the other three colors (70m: p<0.05, 30-60m: p<0.01). Regardless of the pattern of the reflective tape, the visibility of umbrellas was higher than that of people when reflective tape was attached to the umbrellas. It was recognized that attaching reflective tape to umbrellas helps prevent traffic accidents involving elderly drivers. Comparing the visibility of umbrellas with the different patterns of reflective material, the circumference and radial patterns were rated significantly higher than the plain and four places ones (p<0.001).

We aimed to address environmental concerns through a food-based approach by promoting soy meat products as an ethical food with a low environmental impact. We surveyed 103 female university students regarding their impressions of soy meat packaging. In samples where the background color was changed to 10 different bright tones, orange received high ratings for "appetite," "purchase intention," and "healthy," and green was highly rated for "contribution to the environment." In a sample featuring 12 tones of orange, soft tone received high ratings for "appetite," "purchase intention," and "contribution to the environment," and light grayish tone was highly rated for "healthy." Hue comparisons of the background colors of samples with different amounts of content (one content: hamburger, two contents: hamburger and soybeans, or three contents: hamburger, soybeans, and soybean field) found that orange consistently received high ratings for "appetite" and "purchase intention," and green was highly rated for "healthy" and "contribution to the environment." Our findings suggest that different hues, tones, and content impressions in packaging design effectively promote soy meat products.