Improving The Healthcare Experience With Wayfinding
The best hospital wayfinding can guide patients to exactly where they need to go, but some people still prefer to ask for directions. It’s not uncommon for visitors to a facility to immediately seek out an employee for help. Unfortunately, these conversations can bog down staff members (like doctors and nurses) who need to meet with patients. To solve this problem, provide clear signage to help visitors find your help desk or reception area where they can meet with someone who is hired to guide visitors.
The Top 5 Wayfinding Design Principles in Healthcare
The average patient encounters several sensory experiences when they visit a hospital or medical facility. They hear beeping machines, smell sanitizer, and look around to find the right department for their treatment. These experiences can quickly overwhelm patients and their families – especially when they visit major hospitals. The right hospital signage and wayfinding can make the medical experience less stressful, resulting in happier patients. If you are looking to improve patient experience, here are five wayfinding design principles in healthcare to embrace.
Hospital Wayfinding: 5 Navigation Problems and How to Solve Them
Creating effective hospital wayfinding isn’t easy; however, we have the experience that allows us to do it well. Here are five common problems that hospitals face and how to solve them using creative and modern wayfinding and signage solutions.
A Wayfinding Evolution in Healthcare
First, there was nature. Reading water, a crescent moon, tree growth patterns, and bird migrations, constellations that point to the North Star. Then, there was signage. ‘You are here.’ ‘Go this way to get to your destination.’ ‘This is the name of this business and these are the goods and services they provide.’ Next, digital signage. Interactive kiosks. Mobile accessibility. Real-time updates and customization. Time-sensitive emergency messaging. So, that’s it, right? From natural to analog to digital, the evolution of signage and wayfinding is now complete, right? Well, not quite so fast.
