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Facts and data on pictograms Literature

Nursery

Synonyms / Other Terms Used

Baby Care, Baby Care Facilities, Baby Changing Facilities, Change Table

Category

Public Facilities, Services, Hygiene, Travel, Tourism

Message / Function

To indicate the location of baby care facilities

 

Source Description
ISO 7001 Public Information Symbol PI PF 023: Nursery/Baby Care ISO 7001 Side view of figure bending over baby on flat surface, baby feeding bottle in outline
Experience Japan Pictograms: Baby Care Room EJP Side view of figure bending over baby on flat surface, baby feeding bottle in outline
ÖNORM A 3011 Public Information Symbol No 31: Room for Baby Care 1) ÖNORM A 3011 Side view of female figure bending over baby on flat surface, baby feeding bottle in outline
Austrian Testdesign: Room for Baby Care 2) ON Testdesign Side view of female figure bending over baby on flat surface
KFAI Pictogram Nursery KFAI Side view of female figure bending over baby on curved surface
Icon Baby Changing Area (Vienna) from Handbuch wien.gv.at Handbuch wien.gv.at Side view of human figure in outline, bending over baby on flat surface
BSI 8501 Public Information Symbol No 5009: Baby care facilities BS 8501:2002 Side view of figure bending over baby with diapers on flat surface
Parks Canada Symbol 6-1-051: Change Table Parks Canada Side view of figure bending over baby with diapers on flat surface
UIC 413 Pictogram B.7.11 - Baby changing facilities 3) UIC 413 Side view of human figure bending over baby with diapers on flat surface
Pierce page 58: Pictogram Changing Room, Probadores Pierce Vertical line, side view of figure bending over baby on flat surface
AIGA Symbol Signs page 54: Nursery ADCA Human figure with flared skirt holding baby, child on the right
Pictogram Nursery by ULOU ULOU Baby in hooded baby blanket
FS Pictogram Nursery FS Baby with diapers in plan view
Abdullah & Hübner page 166: Pictogram Baby changing facilities of the Swiss Post Swiss Post Small child with opened diapers
Pictogram No 540: Baby Changing Room Erco Small child with opened diapers
DB Pictogram No 98 - Baby Changing Facilities DB Small child with opened diapers
Lunger & Scheiber page 228: Symbol Room for Baby Care from Deutsches Technikmuseum (German Museum of Technology) by GfG DTM Berlin Baby with diapers in plan view
SIS Pictogram PI OI 037 Nursery (Skötbord) SIS Baby with diapers, arms streched out, in plan view
AIGA Symbol Sign No 15: Nursery AIGA Baby with diapers in plan view
Eco-Mo Foundation Pictogram A30 - Nursery / Baby Care Eco-Mo
Foundation		 Baby with diapers in plan view
BTA 1989 page 3.04: Baby Changing Facilities BTA 1989 Side view of baby with diapers
SNCF Pictogram Nursery SNCF Side view of baby with diapers on baby nursing table
Hora page 153: CNIS Pictogram Baby Care CNIS Feeding bottle with measuring scale, baby with diapers
AIGA Symbol Signs page 54: Nursery D/FW Baby feeding bottle with measuring scale
AIGA Symbol Signs page 54: Nursery FA Baby feeding bottle in outline, with measuring scale
AIGA Symbol Signs page 54: Nursery BAA Tilted baby feeding bottle with measuring scale and formula
Modley & Myers page 103, Picto'grafics: Pictogram Nursery Picto'grafics Tilted baby feeding bottle with formula
AIGA Symbol Signs page 54: ADV Pictogram Nursery ADV Tilted baby feeding bottle with measuring scale in outline
Modley & Myers page 78, ATA: Nursery ATA Tilted baby feeding bottle in outline

Note: Some of the examples shown above were mirrored horizontally to contrast differences.

Discussion

The set of graphic symbols above already implies that no single visual stereotype exists to indicate the location of baby care facilities. Three types of image contents are dominating, and almost all other designs are combinations of these:

In two studies sponsored by the Austrian Railways and the Austrian Standards Institute (Brugger, 1995 a and 1995 b) nine pictogram variants of the table above were examined using the Comprehensibility Estimation procedure. In these tests conducted in Austria, a human figure bending over baby on a baby nursing table always was judged as most suitable with scores above 80, followed by the pictogram from France (SNCF) showing a side view of baby with diapers on a baby nursing table. While scores for pictograms displaying just a baby with diapers in plan view were in a range of 40 to 60, baby feeding bottles were rated as rather incom­prehensable with mean and median estimation values below 30.

When tested for comprehension pictograms showing a side view of a figure bending over a baby received more correct responses if a baby feeding bottle also was part of the design (Brugger, 1979). A variant similar to the ÖNORM A 3011 version, but without the baby feeding bottle (marked with 2) and labeled as ON Testdesign), elicited more than 10 % responses related to cooking! In a Comprehension Test 17 years later (Brugger, 1996) two variants were compared, the ÖNORM A 3011 version without the baby feeding bottle labeled 2) and a version similar to the pictogram labeled UIC (3)): both variants reached excellent comprehension scores around 90, much better than in 1979. But there still seems to be room for improvements concerning most variants showing a baby, as the proportions between head and body of the babies displayed often are not correct. In any case, the figure of the grown up should be neutral and not show a female.

In a later Japanese study to propose domestically unified graphical symbols based on scientific methods, the pictogram variant labeled as Eco-Mo Foundation proved to be sufficiently comprehensable with a compre­hension score of 80.8 (Eco-Mo Foundation, 2001), therefore exceeding previous comprehensiblity estimates.

Comparing the pictogram showing a baby in a hooded baby blanket with the image of a tilted baby feeding bottle with formula, 63 % of the respondents found the first to be more effective at communicating nursery than the latter (Woodrow, 2016).

Recommendation

Based on the test results available we recommend using a pictogram showing a side view of a human figure bending over a baby on a baby nursing table.

Tests of pictograms of referent Nursery

Brugger, Ch. (1979): Abschlußbericht über den Erkennungstest. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute (ON) dated 12/79, Vienna.

Brugger: Ch. (1995): ÖBB / ON Testserie 1995, Teil 1 Verständnisschätzungen nach ISO 9186. Report to ÖBB GD 02 (Austrian Railways) dated January 1995, Vienna.

Brugger: Ch. (1995): ÖBB / ON Testserie 1995, Teil 2 Verständnisschätzungen nach ISO 9186. Report to ÖBB GD 02 (Austrian Railways) dated February 1995, Vienna.

Brugger: Ch. (1996): Verständnistest UIC Kodex Merkblatt 413. Report to ÖBB GD 02 (Austrian Railways), Vienna, March 1996.

Eco-Mo Foundation (2001): Test data of public information symbols in Japan - Procedure for the testing of public information symbols by the Study Committee. ISO: ISO/TC 145/SC 1 N 329.

Woodrow J.A. (2016): Universal Language of Understanding—Universal Health Care Symbols. Available online: http://openresearch.ocadu.ca/id/eprint/555/1/Woodrow_Jeffery_2016_MDES_INCD_MRP.pdf

 

Updated 2023-10-17 by Ch.Brugger