Article Idea:
New Design Factors for Wayfinding
suggested by Jon Freach on 2006/12/09
In this article I will describe a strategic guide that Facilities executives, architects, wayfinding designers and interaction designers can use for planning, designing and implementating wayfinding systems for health care institutions.
The four design factors are:
1. Cultural
The system of beliefs, learned behaviors and meanings that local residents and visitors to a hospital use to guide their thoughts and actions.
2. Information
What the visitor and the institution need to know about each other to begin meaningful correspondence.
3. Interactions
Who and what the visitor interacts with at the institution and how they interact with each other.
4. Environments
Where the visitor goes for treatment or to see loved ones.
These design factors provide an organizing framework for a comprehensive set of wayfinding best practices, processes and tactics.
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Jon Freach
4 Reputation points
Posted 2006/12/28 @ 12:12PM with
I should also note that this article will cite case studies for M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas; UMass Memorial Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts; and, Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois.
For each hospital, I lead a team of researchers, environmental graphic designers and interaction designers during the concept, design and implementation phases of an integrated wayfinding system. An integrated wayfinding system combines traditional wayfinding tools such as signs and maps with non-traditional tools such as web sites, touch screens and standardized verbal scripts to help visitors find their way to and around a complex medical campus and/or institution.