In a recent blog commenting on a Wall Street Journal article on hospital signage, Healthcare Design magazine editor-in-chief Kristin D. Zeit said that while she has seen a lot of beautiful, intelligent, patient-focused wayfinding systems in new and renovated facilities, simple signage trumps color and symbolism, flooring and ceiling cues, and easily identifiable landmarks.
"When I’m a new patient, or the mother or visitor of a patient, those elements are supplemental at best. If I’m visiting a hospital for the first time — or maybe for the first time in a while, or it’s a department I’m unfamiliar with—I’m there with an illness or injury to be addressed. 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," she wrote.
The Wall Street Journal article included advice and examples from recently renovated facilities on new approaches to guiding the patient/visitor journey. The article mentioned what hospitals are borrowing from shopping malls and airports.
Airports and hospitals have one very important thing in common, according to the blog. Lots of anxious visitors trying to find their way, many of whom have never (or rarely) been there.
Read the blog.
Read the Wall Street Journal article.
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