So I’m on the train this morning sitting across from this PSA about giving your seat to the disabled. And for the life of me I can’t figure out which one is the disabled individual. This is because there are two conflicting forces at work here – one revolving around color and the other around shape.
First shape. The individual in green looks like he is either giving his seat to someone, based on his body position, or he is enfeebled and hunched-over grasping for support as he slides into the seat. So which one is it? is the green person the disabled looking to sit or is he in the process of offering the seat?
Next color. The copy (written in the same color a the green guy) says that not all disabilities are visible. The subway car and the woman sitting down are all in grey. So which one is the disabled individual? is the guy in green the disabled because he corresponds to the green copy talking about disabled individuals? Or is the woman in grey the disabled because she blends in with the surrounding environment (reinforcing the meaning of the copy)?
Moreover there’s an open seat, why wouldn’t he just sit down?!
I usually just laugh at how poorly designed the MTA PSAs are, but in this case I had to point this out. Partly because it entertained me for the majority of my ride this morning and partly because bad design is confusing and that bothers me. Maybe they’re both disabled.