Wayfinding for the Grey Nuns Hospital, AHS

CONTEXT

Despite well-established principles in wayfinding and information design, navigating healthcare environments remains a persistent challenge for patients, families, and visitors. A key reason is that wayfinding systems are rarely evaluated with end users before implementation — meaning problems that could be identified and resolved during the design phase are only discovered after a system is in place.

APPROACH

This project developed, designed, and tested a pilot signage and wayfinding system at the Grey Nuns Hospital Emergency Department in Edmonton, Alberta — a small 45-bed and recliner unit with outdated signage in need of a comprehensive redesign.

Working with patient and family representatives, our team applied usability testing methodologies to evaluate both the existing wayfinding system and a proposed redesign. Participants navigated the space using prototyped signage and other wayfinding elements, allowing us to assess the effectiveness of the system and identify opportunities for improvement before implementation. This structured, participatory evaluation approach surfaces insights that are often missed when patients and families are excluded from the research, design, and testing process.

FINDINGS

The methodology demonstrated that involving patient and family representatives in the evaluation of proposed wayfinding systems — prior to implementation — can meaningfully improve both the effectiveness of the system and the overall patient and visitor experience. The project established a replicable framework for user-centred wayfinding evaluation in hospital settings.

CONTACT

For more information about this project, contact Gillian Harvey at gharvey@ualberta.ca