Wu, Gao, Lin and Chang – EVALUATING IMPACTS OF BUS ROUTE MAP DESIGN AND DYNAMIC REAL-TIME INFORMATION PRESENTATION ON BUS ROUTE MAP SEARCH EFFICIENCY AND COGNITIVE LOAD 2022

Description

This study evaluated how bus route map design and dynamic real-time information affect route-search efficiency and cognitive load. Thirty-two participants (16 male, 16 female) completed destination-search tasks on 55″ displays using two map styles—a geographically accurate (map-based) collinear map and a highly symmetric straight-line (linear) map—and two dynamic reminders: flashing the approaching bus number or flashing the bus route. Search time and subjective workload (NASA‑TLX) were measured. Results showed no significant difference in search efficiency between map-based and linear maps, but the map-based format imposed significantly higher cognitive load. Flashing the bus route produced longer search times and greater cognitive load than flashing only the bus number. Men outperformed women on some search tasks, especially with map-based designs, suggesting women’s search was more affected by geographic detail. There were no interactive effects between map style and dynamic presentation. Recommendations include limiting dynamic highlight scope and cautiously adding geographic detail; the study is limited by a young adult sample (18–33).