{"id":61505,"date":"2023-10-02T09:48:04","date_gmt":"2023-10-02T13:48:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthcaredesignmagazine.com\/?p=61505"},"modified":"2023-12-18T22:07:52","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T03:07:52","slug":"3-key-principles-of-successful-wayfinding-in-healthcare-facilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthcaredesignmagazine.com\/trends\/3-key-principles-of-successful-wayfinding-in-healthcare-facilities\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Key Principles Of Successful Wayfinding In Healthcare Facilities"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article was originally published on October 2, 2023, and is among <\/em>Healthcare Design\u2019s most-read articles of 2023. To see a full list, click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The challenges of designing effective wayfinding<\/a> for healthcare facilities are considerable. As with other commercial building projects\u2014whether it\u2019s a hotel, airport, university campus, or big-box retailer\u2014the goal is to guide users to what they\u2019re looking for, where they need to be, as seamlessly and pleasantly as possible.<\/p>\n

In healthcare, however, add to that a heightened state of anxiety over their health or that of the loved one they\u2019re accompanying. Consider the diversity of those using the space in terms of age, culture, socioeconomic status, education, and the full gamut of physical and mental abilities.<\/p>\n

Healthcare facilities also change regularly over time: Departments move from one floor to another to accommodate shifting population needs, and campuses grow through building acquisitions and new-build projects that can necessitate massive programmatic changes. Then there\u2019s the sheer complexity of the terminology and vast types of services being navigated in healthcare spaces.<\/p>\n

In the face of all these challenges, Healthcare Design<\/em> spoke with healthcare designers from a variety of firms to find out some of the common principles they rely on to develop successful wayfinding programs.<\/p>\n

Principle 1: Early planning for wayfinding<\/h2>\n

Scale, colors, lighting, architectural details, artwork, landscaping, and signage can (and should) all play a role in wayfinding, designers shared. And the best way to make sure these elements work in harmony to lead visitors through the space is to start the wayfinding conversation early on.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt needs to be integrated from day one. If you try to shoehorn something in, you\u2019re just being reactive. It\u2019s going to be less effective,\u201d says Kevin A. Day, principal at HGA<\/a> (Washington, D.C.).<\/p>\n

A holistic design approach creates an opportunity for different perspectives to work together. \u201cThe interior designers and wayfinding designers aren\u2019t thinking about the different parts and pieces alone,\u201d explains Elizabeth Von Lehe, design director for HDR<\/a> (New York). \u201cThey\u2019re thinking about the grander goal of the space, how it\u2019s going to be used, what pain points we\u2019re actually being tasked with mitigating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adds Phuong Nguyen, associate principal and lead experiential graphic designer, Page<\/a> (Atlanta): \u201cEarly engagement in the planning process means we can \u2018reserve\u2019 the most effective locations for wayfinding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Incorporating wayfinding early also sets the stage for thoughtful expansion in the future, so that the wayfinding strategy remains cohesive even in newer spaces. Chris Bowles, senior environmental graphic designer at Page, says he\u2019s always looking ahead: \u201cIt\u2019s in the back of your mind that, OK, we might have two buildings here today. But you look at the site, you see a lot of unused land, and you know that eventually it\u2019s going to be brought online and new buildings added,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, designers can create wayfinding and signage guidelines for owners that can be applied for future growth. Day cites a project for Children\u2019s National Hospital<\/a> in Washington, D.C., in which HGA is creating a wayfinding toolkit for the hospital that can help identify new clinic or department entries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t have a lot of landmarks so we\u2019ve created a system that\u2019s not just signage types, but more like a design guide that can be used on smaller renovations,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Principle 2: Reducing visual clutter in healthcare facilities<\/h2>\n

Layering of elements within healthcare facilities can help establish a natural, step-by-step wayfinding approach. \u201cWe\u2019re thinking about scale, we\u2019re thinking about lighting and color,\u201d says Brooke Behnfeldt, principal, GBBN Architects<\/a> (Cincinnati). \u201cIt\u2019s all those sorts of visual cues that people pick up on immediately and intuitively.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adds Mary Dietrich, managing director, experiential design at Kolar<\/a> (Cincinnati), \u201cIt\u2019s about creating simple hierarchies that lead your eye through the space,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all different. Some of us appreciate words, some of us remember color elements, some appreciate other visuals. What we\u2019re trying to do in wayfinding is trigger the mind.\u201d Ideally, all these elements work together to reinforce the path.<\/p>\n

A common scenario in renovations and expansions, says HDR\u2019s Von Lehe, is that facilities \u201cwant to solve a wayfinding problem by adding another thing rather than going through the exercise of removing a roadblock.\u201d<\/p>\n

And whether it\u2019s a renovation or a new build, \u201cless is more\u201d should be the wayfinding mantra, according to all the designers consulted, to keep visual clutter to a minimum and build in moments to pause and consider the next step.<\/p>\n

For example, GBBN recently redesigned the main entrance for UC Health UC Medical Center<\/a> in Cincinnati. Aaron Anderson, market design leader and principal at GBBN, says that some existing elements \u201cwere deliberately relocated or better situated to provide for an appropriate amount of arrival, a place to come in and transition and take their jackets off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Changes included relocating the gift shop, repositioning bathrooms and guest services, and centrally locating an information desk to help direct movement. \u201cThe information desk is a key moment, with visually free space around it,\u201d says Kolar\u2019s Dietrich, who worked with GBBN on the project, \u201cso you can appreciate it as a destination point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Principle 3: Signage strategies for hospitals and clinics<\/h2>\n

While wayfinding might be equated by some to signage, designers say signage should be treated as just one piece in the wayfinding kit of parts. \u201cI always feel that signage is the punctuation in the sentence,\u201d says Page\u2019s Nguyen. \u201cIt\u2019s pause and reinforcement. You\u2019re really looking to natural architectural cues [to guide the eye], whether that\u2019s a form, color, or finish change. Your eyes follow patterns.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen there\u2019s a change in that material or structure, that\u2019s when you come up to notice that you need to make a decision.\u201d Beyond simply labeling important spaces, then, signage should exist to reassure and help people make those decisions.<\/p>\n

But owners and facility staff can often rely too much on signage as a Band-aid, a shorthand to true wayfinding when new buildings are added or departments move around. Designers argue that this can make things worse, adding visual clutter, creating conflicting signals, and disrupting the careful wayfinding strategy that was implemented in the first place.<\/p>\n

Besides, they say, following signs isn\u2019t the way most people navigate healthcare spaces. \u201cWe can label all day long,\u201d Von Lehe says. \u201cBut in reality, a stressed-out family member will go to the nurses\u2019 station and ask how to get somewhere. And instead of talking about the signs, the nurse will say, \u2018Go down that corridor and turn right at the bear statue.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Landmarks\u2014like the bear statues HDR peppered throughout a recent project for Children\u2019s of Omaha<\/a>\u2014are a significant component of healthcare wayfinding. \u201cLandmarks are hugely important,\u201d says HGA\u2019s Day. \u201cIt gives the assurance that, \u2018OK, yeah. I\u2019m on the right track.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Tailoring wayfinding<\/h2>\n

While GPS apps have transformed the way people navigate the outside world and digital signage becomes increasingly more interactive and easier to manage, the use of these technologies and others within healthcare wayfinding is currently still limited, designers say\u2014or at least slower to be adopted.<\/p>\n

The issue isn\u2019t lack of interest in digital solutions from healthcare systems, the designers say; it\u2019s more a question of what\u2019s best for the system\u2019s population.<\/p>\n

Older people make up a high percentage of hospital visitors, many of whom are less comfortable with such tools.<\/p>\n

And when considering the challenges of an extremely diverse user population that\u2019s navigating complex spaces while experiencing anxiety, more experimental wayfinding solutions present more risk.<\/p>\n

\u201cWayfinding systems are always a blend of multidimensional aspects,\u201d says Nguyen. \u201cHow those are blended\u2014the percentage of each aspect\u2014depends on the hospital location, the local community, comfort with technology. We\u2019re all trying to balance that. It\u2019s a very tailored approach.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kristin D. Zeit is a contributing editor at<\/em>\u00a0Healthcare Design<\/em> and can be reached at<\/em>\u00a0kristinzeit@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Finding the best approach to helping patients and visitors find their way around unfamiliar healthcare settings requires early planning and a tailored mix of lighting, signage, colors, textures, and architectural cues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13605,"featured_media":61507,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[530],"tags":[],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"3 Key Principles Of Successful Wayfinding In Healthcare Facilities","url":"http:\/\/healthcaredesignmagazine.com\/trends\/3-key-principles-of-successful-wayfinding-in-healthcare-facilities\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/healthcaredesignmagazine.com\/trends\/3-key-principles-of-successful-wayfinding-in-healthcare-facilities\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/healthcaredesignmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wayfinding1-150x92.png","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/healthcaredesignmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wayfinding1.png"},"articleSection":"Trends","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"HCD Guest Author"}],"creator":["HCD Guest Author"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"HCD Magazine","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2023-10-02T13:48:04Z","datePublished":"2023-10-02T13:48:04Z","dateModified":"2023-12-19T03:07:52Z"},"rendered":"