The Design of Visual Communication Barriers and Decoding Perceptions for Standardizing Signage for Deaf Drivers in Thailand

Abstract

The primary objective of this study is to establish a standardized safety framework by evaluating behavioral intent and semantic transparency through a mixed-methods approach. Structuring the study into three systematic phases, a target sample was selected via purposive sampling from the national population of 391,371 registered deaf individuals. The experimental sample comprised 20 participants, bifurcated into two distinct groups: licensed deaf drivers (n = 10) and general motorists (n = 10). Empirical testing was executed using semi-structured interviews in conjunction with a Virtual Reality (VR) driving simulation experiment under dynamic environmental conditions to rigorously measure participants' cognitive latency and reaction times. Crucially, empirical findings reveal that current disability stickers fail as "active safety signals" due to poor chromatic contrast and a lack of ergonomic semiotic linkage. General motorists consistently fail to decode their meaning often perceiving outdated materials as visually obstructive while qualitative insights indicate that a subset of deaf drivers (80.0%, n = 8 out of 10) exhibit a profound psychological reluctance to display static identifiers due to fears of harassment and criminal targeting once their status is publicly marked. To address these systemic failures, the study proposes a standardized visual signaling framework based on ISO 7010 and Universal Design principles. By optimizing chromatic contrast and utilizing situational LED activation, this proposed active system aims to minimize perceptual latency, ensuring critical traffic safety information is decoded instantaneously without compromising the user’s anonymity.