Healthcare Design - March 2014 - 8

E EDITORIAL | 03.14
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Follow the signs
The most important element of hospital wayfinding
is the one that best eases visitor anxiety
By Kristin D. Zeit
I've seen a lot of beautiful, intelligent, patient-focused wayfinding systems
in new and renovated facilities. These hospitals incorporate color and
symbolism, flooring and ceiling cues, and easily identifiable landmarks.
When implemented thoughtfully, this kind of comprehensive approach
is very effective. But the single most important factor in any wayfinding
system? Signage. It's no contest.
For a new patient, or the parent or visitor of a patient, every other
design element is supplemental at best. If I'm visiting a hospital for the
first time-or a department I'm unfamiliar with-all I care about is getting
where I need to go, quickly. If I'm walking along, trying to find Unit C, and
suddenly I notice I've gone from a blue area to a yellow one, then I know
I've entered a new zone. But where? My eyes immediately seek out the
signs.
The Wall Street Journal recently published an article about hospital
wayfinding, with advice and examples from recently renovated facilities on guiding the patient/visitor journey. A lot of this advice centers on
signage. Rapid City Regional Hospital in South Dakota, for example,
changed the wording on its signs from medical jargon (e.g., antepartrum and postpartum services) to layman's terms (labor and delivery). At
elevator banks and on different floors, the facility borrowed a tactic from
airport design, with signs modeled on an "approach of 'progressive disclosure,' giving patients only the information they need to get to the next
step in their destination." So a sign at the elevator, for example, tells you
pediatrics is on the second floor. Once you get up there, signage directs
you to individual departments.
Airports and hospitals have one very important thing in common: Lots
of anxious visitors trying to find their way, many of whom have never (or
rarely) been there.
Anticipation of anxiety should be the starting point for considering how
to create effective wayfinding. For signage, the wording, font, colors, location, and frequency all need considerable attention up front. With each
decision made, the most important question is: Is the end result simple
and clear? Those signage factors should never be compromised to serve a broader aesthetic or branding goal. HCD

President and CEo Debra J. Levin
EDiToRiAL boARD
Sheila F. Cahnman AECOM, Chicago
Hamilton Espinosa DPR Construction, Phoenix
Thomas Gormley URS Corp., New York
Walter b. Jones Parkland, Dallas
Jain Malkin healthcare designer, La Jolla, Calif.
Andrew S. Quirk Skanska USA Building, Nashville
Kim E. Shinn TLC Engineering, Brentwood, Tenn.
Joseph G. Sprague HKS Inc., Dallas
Roger S. ulrich Chalmers University of Technology,
Sweden; and Aalborg University, Denmark

8 6www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com
02.13
HCDmagazine.com 12.13

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Healthcare Design - March 2014

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