ABSTRACT
Fire accidents in buildings are increasingly prevalent. The initial stages of responding to a fire are confusing, and the public lacks fire prevention awareness. Exit signs in buildings are static and thus cannot provide information that reflects the rapidly changing evacuation situation. Therefore, this study proposes an effective dynamic signage system in fire accidents that was tested in escape simulation experiments. A pictogram system was identified and animated. Experiments concerning two scenarios, escaped with guidance or shelter in place, were conducted where participants followed directions provided by either static or dynamic signs. This study compared the signs in terms of how well the participants escaped, their cognition of the visual interface, and their guided escape experiences. Dynamic signs performed well in visual cognition, particularly regarding comprehensibility, clarity, and aesthetics. More participants were able to follow appropriate guidance, such as crawl low under the smoke, close doors, open windows, do not hide in the toilet, and knew the location of fire when they used dynamic signs. Finally, dynamic sign preference is significantly and positively correlated with the signs’ effectiveness in helping participants evacuate.
