Grison – SCHEMATIC MAP DESIGN – FROM PERFORMANCE TO PREFERENCE 2019

Description

This literature review surveys a decade of experimental research on schematic metro map design, tracing a shift from subjective surveys to objective lab and online experiments, including eye-tracking. Foundational work by Roberts and collaborators prompted tests showing design factors—line geometry, coloring, and layout—affect route-planning accuracy and speed: curvilinear and certain axis modifications can outperform traditional octolinear designs, and route-based color coding often aids planning. Eye-tracking studies reveal that map and task complexity increase fixations, scatter gaze patterns, and alter visual strategies. Crucially, objective performance often diverges from user preference: travelers may favor familiar or attractive maps over more efficient ones. Research also shows travelers prioritize criteria beyond shortest time—transfers, waiting/walking time, uncertainty—and that subtle cartographic manipulations (e.g., altering perceived line lengths) can shift route choices, with effects depending on user familiarity. The review highlights open questions about acceptability of efficient designs, ecological validity of laboratory methods, and how different presentation media (paper, web, mobile) influence map use.