Facts and data on pictograms
Synonyms / Other Terms Used
Medical Ultrasound, Medical Ultrasonography, Ultrasound Department, Obstetric Ultrasonography, Sonography
Category
Public Services, Public Facilities, Health Care, Clinical Facilities
Message / Function
To indicate the location of a clinical facility that deals with diagnostic techniques using ultrasound
| Source | Description | |
|---|---|---|
 B) |
CNIS | Clipped side view of two human figures, one standing in front of monitor, the other lying on horizontal bar |
 50 |
Hablamos Juntos | Frontal view of human figure with stethoscope around the neck behind person lying on horizontal bar, one arm pointing towards parallel arcs bounded by radii |
 C) |
Deng 2025 | Clipped female human figure, side view of fetus inside circle placed in abdominal area |
 70 |
Hablamos Juntos | Side view of fetus inside bold arc, all surrounded by circle made up of dashes |
 80 |
Hablamos Juntos | Seven parallel arcs bounded by radii at central angle of 60°, side view of fetus inside |
 70 |
Hablamos Juntos | Side view of fetus inside bold arc |
 80 |
Hablamos Juntos | Side view of fetus inside bold arc, all inside rectangle held by a hand |
 A) |
SEGD/HJ | Side view of fetus inside bold arc, all inside rectangle held by a hand |
 |
Health Icons | Curved shape with two arcs inside, ultrasound probe at bottom |
Note: Some of the examples shown above were mirrored horizontally to contrast differences.
Discussion
The examples shown above are a selection from the range of pictograms and symbols available to indicate the location of a clinical facility that deals with diagnostic techniques using ultrasound. Side views of a fetus inside a bold arc, similar to the typical picture produced in obstetric ultrasonography, are quite frequent, sometimes also displayed inside a rectangular frame held by a hand. But several other concepts are in use, too. These are pictograms not focusing on pregnancy, as medical ultrasound or ultrasonography has a much wider range of applications, from examining superficial structures such as muscles, breast, thyroid and parathyroid glands to carotid and cardiac ultrasound. Besides renderings of medical instruments like a ultrasound probe, a few variants depict the whole scene with a specialist examining a human figure lying on an examination table shown as horizontal bar.
We found only a few studies regarding the referent Ultrasound, but these present research covering most of the pictograms shown above:
Hablamos Juntos in partnership with SEGD (the Society for Environmental Graphic Design) developed several test designs to signify Ultrasound, of which five pictograms were subjected to a test on basis of the Comprehensibility Estimation procedure (Fontaine et al., 2010). With median scores ranging from 80 down to 50 none of the pictograms examined was judged as excellently comprehensible. The numbers next to the pictograms in the table above are the median estimation scores reported for the corresponding pictograms in this study. Regarding these results a new variant was designed, which is labeled as SEGD/HJ and marked A) above.
In a follow up project this symbol was examined - among others - by Zender & Cassedy (2014) using the ISO/ANSI Open-ended Comprehension Test to find out if this variant is understood just as well in a different culture, and if not, why it does not work. Test results from the United States and Tanzania reveal that the pictogram labeled SEGD/HJ in the table above probably will work in the USA, as 96 % of the responses from the American sample could be classified as correct. But in the Tanzanian sample it became evident that this variant does not work everywhere: it performed sufficiently well among respondents with advanced medical literacy with 70 % correct, but not among typical local patients, as only 15 % answered correctly. The failure was considered to be due to insufficient knowledge about this medical specialization.
Deng et al. (2025) studied the comprehensibility of pictograms from the Chinese standard GB/T 10001.6-2006 Public Information Graphical Symbols for Use on Signs, Part 6: Symbols for Medical Treatment and Health Care to identify effects of age and cognitive features. The pictograms marked B) and C) above also were among the pictograms examined. In the Comprehension Test conducted, pictogram B) for Ultrasound Department did not pass ISO requirements with a correct rate of 63 % among the younger respondents and 38 % in the senior sample, while the variant for B-Ultrasound room of gynecology marked C) reached an acceptable correct rate of 71 % among the younger respondents and 62 % in the senior sample. Reaction times for the latter pictogram variant were about average, but for the lower performing less comprehensible pictogram intended for general use it took almost two times that time until a response was given.
It should be noted that in a wayfinding study of Miller & Lewis (1998), as cited in NHS (2005), just 55 % of 100 potential hospital patients correctly understood the term Ultrasound. Furthermore this term was also listed as problematic by staff at two out of 12 sites surveyed.
Recommendations
Due to the fact that the collection available and also data from research seem to be insufficient, we recommend improving designs, followed by testing using the Comprehensibility Estimation procedure for eliminating poor variants and identifying the best of the set available, followed by a Comprehension Test. These studies should deliver useful data for recommending the best pictogram. Detailed information about the most frequent responses given in each of the response categories of the Comprehension Test should be provided to correctly judge comprehensibility and improve designs. Also information concerning knowledge about this medical specialization should be collected at the end of the test, as studies suggest that many terms used for healthcare facilities are often not understood well by people visiting hospitals or related institutions.
Tests of pictograms of referent Ultrasound
See also
Cardiology, Urology
Hospital, Doctor, Health Care Center, Pharmacy
Updated 2026-01-11 by Christoph Brugger