Recommendations were given to Texas Children’s Hospital based on a thorough research project presented in excerpt below. The team involved established an alternative reading of the hospital as a “sensory landscape” in which graphics and landmark interventions use color, form, texture, pattern, structure, and sign elements to help travelers intuitively negotiate the scale of the campus. Additional interior elements (landmarks, interventions, thresholds, etc.) that are semi-autonomous to the campus were also recommended in order to aid more instinctive wayfinding.

To understand wayfinding at Texas Children’s Hospital, one must first understand the macro, mid, and micro complexities of the system. The city of Houston is relatively simple to navigate, relative to your starting point, but the difficulty increases dramatically as you enter the Texas Medical Center.

As demonstrated by the maps above, complexities of navigation and cognitive loads increase as you drawn near the Texas Medical Center. A dense network of hospitals, research institutions, parking structures, pedestrian bridges, and public transit make finding your destination difficult. The system is further obfuscated by several competing numbering systems for entrances, garages, and buildings.

In addition to environmental conditions, we needed to understand the vast array of relationships between patients and medical staff. Mapping this complex ecosystem allowed researchers and hospital administration to visualize communication channels and identify missed opportunities for a better experience.

Shadowing patients, caregivers, and staff was instrumental in the mapping process, as demonstrated by a few of the contextual photos shown below. A total of 8 shadowing exercises and 4 patient / caregiver visits were completed.

The use of color on campus had become inconsistent over time, creating confusion for guests. We imagined new, system-wide color guidelines and created a phased rollout plan in cooperation with the TCH interiors group.

A “global” map that shows users how to get from their current position to their final destination was a crucial but missing wayfinding tool. Our team synthesized complex garage, building, elevator, and pedestrian bridge data into a simple campus map, showing the relationship between all towers, underground parking garages, and connecting sky-bridges.

The map modules strategically placed at elevator bays give a snapshot of immediate and campus-wide context while using color to underscore wayfinding. The system clearly shows the relationship between all campus elevators, buildings, and parking structures. This makes it easy for users to find their way even if their destination is in a different building than where they parked.

A modular system for campus wayfinding signs saved the hospital time and money, and allowed for ease of updating. We intentionally designed the fixtures to fit within an existing structure and on an existing chassis for a solution that was at once impactful and economical. The design system was translated and repurposed into an exterior environmental graphics program (not shown).

An extensive research, strategy, and design effort provided valuable patient and organizational insights to executive leadership, aiding in future decision making, that would ultimately help recapture Medicare & Medicaid reimbursements that had been jeopardized due to poor performance on HCAHPS measures related to wayfinding. The research was awarded an SEGD Global Design Award for its focus on human-centered design.