Rethinking Hospitals' Wayfinding

Rethinking Hospitals’ Wayfinding

About

Shalby Hospitals is located in the heart of Ahmedabad, India. As part of my undergraduate thesis project, I planned to research, analyze, and identify the core problem of the hospital.

Year

2019

Duration

2 Months

Role

Research, Wayfinding, Branding & Identity, User Experience

Challenge

After thoroughly exploring the hospital for a month, I discovered numerous issues regarding directions and navigation within the space. Moreover, I noticed that the hospital's overall appearance lacked variety and visual interest.
The hospital showed significant potential for developing a systematic approach that could transform it into a cohesive and distinctive medical facility which could provide a different experience to patients and visitors.

Outcome

The project involves redesigning the hospital's logo and enhancing the wayfinding system to improve navigation within and around the hospital.

My role was to conduct research, identify problems, interview individuals, and develop a new design language for the healthcare sector.

Why branding and wayfinding?

Uneven fonts were used for the existing signage, and inconsistent materials were used. In addition, there was no clear indication of which department to go to, and the sizes of the signs on each corner varied.

Instructions were posted on one wall and updates were stuck on a piece of paper.

No proper floor map or placement.

Inconsistent system focused on healthcare.

Lack of order and varied color choices.

What did the key
audience have to say?

Patients

- New patients had to ask for directions - They couldnt understand the signages, so they would ask the staff. - Old patients are frequent visitors, so it is easy for them to remember. - They would also prefer a proper direction.

- Some felt they needed a new set of signage.
- At present, different types of signages could be seen.
- Looks cluttered.
- Sometimes, doctors can also get confused or forget particular directions.

Doctors

Staff

- Most of the time is spent in directing the patients.
- It is not the main job or their purpose.

Blue

HEX

0091C1

RGB

0, 145, 193

HSL

195, 100, 38

Bittersweet

HEX

F05F5C

RGB

240, 95, 92

HSL

1, 83, 65

Onyx

HEX

414042

RGB

65, 64, 66

HSL

270, 2, 25

White

HEX

FFFFFF

RGB

255, 255, 255

HSL

0, 0, 100

Icons are formed based on the characteristics of MITR typeface. Its a sans serif Latin Thai typeface. It has a wide structure with rounded terminal that preserves legibility and readability.

The icons were designed using the features of the typeface to ensure consistency and present a unified appearance. Despite the lines not being connected, the design was maintained with the integrity of each icon.