People read the same subway map in different ways: some look first at station names, while others follow colors and lines. Enter one station at a time in the K-jihacheol web game and notice what you look for on the map. This article focuses on reading information on screen rather than memorizing routes or planning a journey. If maps interest you, follow the current location as it changes with each answer and observe colors, spacing and connections separately.
1. Notice whether you read the names or follow the lines first
Take a moment to think about what you look for when you first open a subway map. Some people look for familiar station names, while others choose the color of the line and follow the line. It is not an observation with a fixed answer. Knowing where your gaze starts will give you a clearer sense of how you move between names and locations while playing.
In the first edition, read the name you need to enter and then find your current station on the map. Just check whether the two pieces of information point to the same target and enter them. Even if the name is familiar, it may take a moment to locate it on the map. Conversely, even if the name is unfamiliar, you can immediately see where the current station sign is. Observe that the experience of reading letters and spaces is different.
The game can become tiring if you keep trying to analyze your gaze throughout an entire round. It is enough to check once at the beginning and once in the middle. Simply write it down like “I looked at the name first” or “I looked at the dot first.” This small record serves as data to find out about your route map reading habits, independent of your typing score. You don't have to type quickly to make a good observation.
2. Use line colors as a starting clue
On a city route map, different routes are displayed in different colors. Color is a clue to choose which line to follow on the screen. Select a city and check the name and color of the route you are interested in. If you only remember the colors, you may get confused with other lines that look similar, so it is better to read the route names as well. The idea is to increase the clues used on the map to two.
After starting the game, look at how the color of the selected route shows the progress. If the representation of the passed section and the remaining section are different, it can help you find your current location. Rather than trying to read the entire city from the beginning, try to see how the lines run around your current station. Connecting a single station's input to a short interval of change results in a smaller range of observations.
The feeling of distinguishing colors may vary depending on screen brightness or device. If you are confused about similar colors, check the line name and station name written in letters. It's also good not to assume that colors you see in different cities have the same meaning. When you change cities, simply read the route selection screen for that city again and check first which line you are looking at.
3. Use the current station highlight as a reference
The game screen has indicators to help you find the station you are currently entering. After checking the name you want to enter, use that location as a reference point and look at the stations forward and backward. Even if the overall shape of the line appears complex, narrowing your view to the area around the current station can make the screen easier to read. This method involves guessing the name and moving your gaze to a new reference point every time the location changes.
Please also read the guide showing the current station, previous station, and next station. You can see how letter information is connected to the order on the route. The goal is not to memorize the name of the next station in advance. This is an observation to see which information on the screen changes and which information is maintained between inputting one station. If you do the same section again, you may notice changes that you missed on the first try.
Even people who are familiar with maps sometimes lose track of their current location. When that happens, try reconnecting the highlight with the name you're typing rather than blindly scanning the entire screen. You can also compare how easy it is to find the same reference point when changing the screen size or switching to full screen. However, rather than directly interpreting screen differences between devices as superiority or inferiority in recorded scores, try writing them down as differences in reading experience.
4. Screen spacing and real distances are different
Just because two dots appear close together on the route map, don't assume that the actual travel distance is equally short. A route map is a screen that displays information to read stations and connections. Stations with long names also need space to read the letters. When observing gaps on a map, it is more accurate to express things like “It looks close on this screen” and distinguish it from the actual distance or time required.
In the game, when you enter one station, you proceed to the next station. Even if the interval between inputs feels consistent, it doesn't mean that the actual train will arrive at the same time at each station. Consider the experience of the screen and the travel time of traffic separately. When making actual travel plans, you can check the time information from the operating agency or traffic information. It is also best not to tie the game's completion time to the actual ride time.
In your observation notes, you can write down the length of the station name and the surrounding space. Make sure long names are placed where they are and are easy to read with the names around them. You can also see what appears first when you zoom in or out on the screen. This observation is an activity to find out what information density you need when using a map. There is no need to view it as an experiment that proves the superiority or inferiority of a specific design with numbers.
5. Follow one short section at a time
As the route curves on the screen, the line of sight reading the name also changes direction. Follow the short section from your current station to the next station. The parts that read from left to right may feel different from the parts that move up and down. subway map typing allows you to observe the direction of the line in small units by entering one name at a time.
You don't have to try to remember the entire route shape from the beginning. Write down what you felt, such as “I moved my gaze downward during this section,” or “I read the name first before looking for the next dot.” It is also important not to equate the direction drawn on the map with the actual direction of the train on the platform. The arrangement on the screen is a clue for reading the information, and the actual boarding direction must be confirmed with on-site guidance.
When playing the same route twice, you can focus on the location of the names the second time. If you only followed the map in the first edition, this time look at the distance between letters and lines. If you change the purpose, the same data becomes a different object of observation. Even if the completion time is similar, the information you see may be different. A day of logging and a day of exploring map reading leave different results.
6. Check transfer connections on the city map
After viewing the progress screen of one route, you can open the city route map to see its relationship with other routes. Look to see if the name you just entered appears on lines of different colors. Following the order of names within a line and seeing the connections of multiple lines within a city are two different reading activities. By switching between the two screens, you can put the section you just played into a broader context.
When observing connections, also check the city and route name. Just because you see the same station name in multiple places does not mean you can know the actual transfer route or travel time. Connections discovered on a city route map can be left as questions to check. If you are actually planning to transfer, it is recommended that you check the latest station information and operation information separately.
If the picture looks complicated, look for only one connection at a time. You can check how the lines gather around the station you just met, and then move to another station. An observation is not complete without showing all transfer stations. If you write down the connections you found easy to read and the connections you found confusing, you will have a standard to look at the next time you open the same map.
7. Zoom to answer the question you are asking
When you zoom in on a city route map, it's easy to see the names and lines around a station, and when you zoom out, it's easy to see how the lines come together within the city. “What is the next name of this station” and “In which direction does this line run” are two different questions. First, decide what you're curious about and change the screen size to match that question. The information you read will be clearer than if you simply enlarge it.
If the section of the map you are currently interested in is off the screen, move the location to find it again. The act of moving the screen itself is included in the map reading process. The operation also changes depending on whether you can't read the text because it's too small or if you can't find it because it's out of the way you want to see it. You can explore by initially moving around a familiar station and then expanding around it.
On smartphones, screen real estate, touch controls, and virtual keyboard affect the reading experience. On a PC, you can see the same information on a larger screen and physical keyboard. Rather than concluding which one is better for everyone, write down which questions you feel comfortable checking. You can make different choices between when you want to see the entire map and when you want to enter a name directly.
8. Start with familiar text or a familiar map-reading approach
When encountering an unfamiliar notation such as Tokyo or Taipei, select the input language in a way that is comfortable for you. If you are not familiar with your local script, you can do the first edition in English or the Korean transliteration provided. You don't need to read all the characters from the beginning to observe a new city in subway map typing. One way is to first look at the lines and positions using a familiar input method.
The shapes and names of routes may look different in each city. On the first page, look at just one route and write down which information is familiar and which information is unfamiliar. By distinguishing between whether it takes more time to read letters or to follow colors, you can set an observation standard for the next edition. Don't be quick to generalize differences to characteristics of cultures or entire cities.
If you change the input language and look at the same route again, even if the pictures are similar, the experience of reading the names will be different. However, the completion time for each input language cannot be directly compared with the map comprehension score. This is because keyboard settings and familiarity with letters also affect it. Rather than numbers, it is better suited to the purpose of observation if you write down which name your eyes stopped on and which guidance you checked frequently.
9. Add your observations to the game results
After you finish, check your time and number of typos, and add a line or two about your observations from the day. You can write down your experience specifically, such as “It was easier to read the flow if I found the current station first,” or “I wanted to zoom in around long names.” Game results do not automatically diagnose map reading skills, so do not interpret them as separate scores, but rather record your own observations.
If you're playing with someone else, you can talk about what you saw first. One person might remember the line colors and another might remember the station names. The fact that there are different ways to read the same screen becomes a topic of conversation. Rather than judging someone as a more accurate map reader because they are faster, ask them what information they used.
In the next edition, you can revisit one part that was confusing in the first edition. Rather than changing several conditions at once, just change the observation method on the same route by looking at the screen wider or reading the name first. Even if the typing results are the same, you can check whether there was a moment when reading became easier. These notes serve as a small resource to learn about your screen usage habits.
10. Start by connecting the current and next stations
You can get started even if you have no experience studying map design. After choosing a city and route in the web game, read the name of the first station and find your current location. After completing the input, check again where the next location is and the first observation will be made. You don't have to try to analyze every factor during one round. Just looking at how the current station is connected to the next station can be a different experience than reading their names.
Once you get used to it, try changing the object of interest, such as the color of the route on the second board and the arrangement of long names on the third. You can also open the city route map after completing the course to find where other routes meet. By broadening the scope a little like this, repeated play becomes more of a screen-reading activity than just challenging the same score. You can set your goal according to your curiosity.
subway map typing is a web game that allows you to find your current location on a map and follow the flow of movement while entering your name. If you're interested in maps, take turns observing the names and lines on a route today. You can check the latest traffic information for actual travel planning, and enjoy the relationships expressed on the screen in the game. Pick a route in Seoul and find the first reference point.