01520309

Component

A fixed-presentation time laptop study was conducted to assess whether the posting of agency website addresses results in increased information workload relative to the presentation of a more generic “go to agency website” type of message. Researchers evaluated a driver’s ability to recall and correctly comprehend information presented on the signs, changes in how those viewing the signs would access website information, and motorist preferences for agency website addresses versus the more generic message. The results of this study indicates that the presentation of a specific website address on a PCMS message does result in slightly lower recall and comprehension rates of that message relative to a more generic “go to the agency website” type of message. Not only is the specific website address recalled and comprehended less frequently, driver ability to recall and comprehend other parts of the message also appears to be degraded somewhat by the provision of a specific website address in the message. Together, these results suggest that the actual website address does place an additional information load on drivers, even if the website address itself is fairly simple and intuitive..

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AND20 User Information Systems.

01503729

14-4019

English

17p

2014

Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; Photos; References (2) ; Tables

Advanced traveler information systems; Automobile drivers; Cognition; Intelligent transportation systems; Memory; Technological innovations; Traveler information and communication systems; Variable message signs; Websites (Information retrieval)

Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2014 Paper #14-4019

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 27 2014 3:23PM