Wayfinding in complex healthcare environments

This paper is an illustrated summary of a year-long research project carried out by Information Design Unit, commissioned by NHS Estates, to identify typical wayfinding problems people encounter at complex sites. The research involved studying 19 healthcare and 8 non-healthcare sites, selected to represent different wayfinding problems and solutions. In addition to signs and maps, we also identified environmental factors that influence people's directional decisions along a route, and questioned site users about how they found their way to their destination. The findings from the research culminated in the commissioning of new guidelines for wayfinding systems in healthcare sites.