Read the article here.

The article also cites multiple research sources that demonstrate the return on investment for brand and wayfinding communications.

Summary excerpt: “Careful planning, thoughtful design and broad participation will ensure that everyone is prepared to represent an organization’s brand in a consistent way. Each person must take responsibility for understanding brand language, logic and tools so that he or she can become the embodiment of culture in ways that reassure, instruct and support the visitor. This ensures an organization effectively fulfills its caregiving mission in the communities it serves.”

View the article here.

Note that this is a browser-based e-magazine. The article begins on page 22.

To read the entire article, click on “Demonstrating Return on Investment” on the cover page

Excerpts:

“Early on in the project, even before we retained Corbin to assist in our wayfinding initiative, we tried hard to find data, measures, metrics that we could use to validate our business plan. We had to come to terms with the fact that we couldn’t put a value on the patient experience, or our success in managing the degree of change we anticipated. We had to ask ourselves ‘Is it the right thing to do conceptually? Is it going to benefit our patients?’”

“We knew that we should be concerned with the amount of staff time spent giving directions, but maybe we weren’t going to find a piece of data to validate this. Instead, we saw the potential improvements to the patient experience as an important part of our outward value proposition, and our internal core values. We then proceeded with managing costs and maximizing the value of the outcomes as the design process rolled out.”

Gundersen Lutheran's wayfinding system includes an interactive physician directory and static directories for wayfinding support

Once the team and tools were in place, a system of wayfinding signage could be designed and implemented. Rather than using old technology consisting of vinyl sign materials and considerable labor costs, Corbin designed a new system of interior signage using printable inserts. With this in-house capability, Gundersen Lutheran has seen significant improvements since the initial installation: Houser estimates that at least 50% of the original signage inserts have been redone at least 2 or 3 times. “If we hadn’t had that ability, we would have paid for new signage 2, 3 or 4 times over.”

Theresa Besse, an interior designer, adds: “The biggest time and money saver has been the methodology that was implemented for updates to signage. Prior to this new program launch, we used to try every way imaginable, hoping to stumble across a solution. Today, when a signage change is brought to our attention, we have the necessary tools to help identify weak points in communication, and make improvements to the systems that support communication rather than attempting to reinvent the program.”

“I can tell you that our customer service department finds the results of your work PHENOMENAL” Kari Houser, Director of Construction and Facility Planning, Gundersen Lutheran

Directional signage works in tandem with visual landmarks on patient floors

To quantify the return on the investment from an interior signage standpoint, supporting the old program using their internal sign shop was costing in excess of $55,000 annually for materials alone. In 2009, the first year the program was fully implemented, materials costs dropped to just over $15,000. But materials costs are not the only indicator of success; Houser says that “the methodology put in place is delivering a qualitative value far in excess of what we ever spent on signage.”

The success of the wayfinding program has had broad implications throughout the organization. Armed with the proper knowledge and tools, the Wayfinding Team works each day to build awareness of the importance of multiple communications to support the patient experience.

With all of the changes that Gundersen Lutheran has been making, it’s difficult to quantify the specific benefits of the wayfinding system. But the success of this program is due to the broad approach that the team took to the entire range of wayfinding communications, and the individual responsibility of people within the organization to build on the patient experience. The Gundersen Lutheran team has built a flexible infrastructure to manage the intricacies of massive change while always staying true to their mission and values. And that, for them, is priceless.

OHSU's Marquam Hill Campus

In May, 2011, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) selected Corbin Design to conduct an assessment of existing wayfinding conditions and develop a comprehensive exterior and interior wayfinding master plan for their Marquam Hill and South Waterfront campuses. The work will focus on the primary patient care buildings and academic buildings, and external circulation on the campuses.

Because Portland, OR is a city known for its focus on public transportation, the scope of the project includes wayfinding for arrivals via public transportation, bicycle, private vehicle, delivery vehicle, and foot traffic. Corbin Design’s recommendations will include creative wayfinding solutions across media, including signage, print and digital communications.The primary patient care buildings at this location include approximately 2,000,000 square feet in nine buildings:

• OHSU Hospital
• Doernbecher Children’s Hospital
• Hatfield Research Center
• Kohler Pavilion
• Physician’s Pavilion
• Sam Jackson Hall
• Multnomah Pavilion
• Casey Eye Institute
• Portland Aerial Tram
• Center for Health & Healing
• Future Projects in planning phase

The primary academic and research buildings at this location include approximately 2,100,000 square feet in ten buildings:

• Mackenzie Hall
• OHSU Auditorium
• OHSU Student Center
• School of Nursing
• Richard Jones Hall
• Baird Hall
• Biomedical Research Building
• Childhood Research and Development Center
• Biomedical Information Communication Center (Library)
• School of Dentistry

For more information on OHSU, go to www.ohsu.edu

The New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences was launched in 2002 as a joint effort of research institutions, government, industry and philanthropic organizations to create a hub of life sciences expertise in Upstate New York.

In advance of developing an exterior wayfinding signage standard for the many entities that reside within the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC), the campus partners took the unique step of challenging Corbin Design to help frame the scope and deliverables of a comprehensive wayfinding plan, to better define the objectives and outcomes of such a process.

This scope of work included research with representatives from individual campus partners to better understand each entity’s specific assets and challenges, and how they relate to the overall campus visitor experience. Undertaking this research process helped us describe the BNMC features that make this wayfinding project unique from other medical campuses.

We then developed a document that frames the challenges to be addressed, and outline the recommendations for a successful placemaking and wayfinding system for BNMC. We reviewed these recommendations with the campus partners, and provided a detailed proposal of process and costs for the larger wayfinding signage program. Recently we’ve been informed that the second phase of the project should begin in late summer, 2011.

Our three primary objectives detail:

• First, how the BNMC entities will be organized, establishing protocols for sharing information both internally and with campus visitors;
• Second, clarifying terminology and wayfinding logic on the campus itself, and
• Third, designing the tools that will carry that information, including print, electronic and signage media.

Kari Bonaro, Director of Communications & Government Affairs at BNMC, complimented Corbin on our process to date: “This is the farthest we’ve ever gotten in talking about a shared wayfinding signage program. It’s a testament to your team and process that we’re moving forward with the project!”

More information:

The BNMC is cultivating a world-class medical campus in downtown Buffalo, NY as the premier address for clinical  care, research, education, and  entrepreneurship. Find out more about  our 120-acre campus in the heart of a great city.

While the majority of contributors to this article are vendors, Corbin’s point of view on design and integration of these elements into the bigger picture is critical to understanding the role of digital signage elements for healthcare facilities.

In fact, with our clients, we stress that healthcare facilities should be in the business of providing better content, not in purchasing expensive digital infrastructure which is often quickly outdated. Now more than ever, the tools that will allow users to create their own journey to a healthcare facility are in the hands of consumers; it’s the institution’s job to assure that proper information is given at all points of decision, whether before, during or after the visit is complete.

Excerpts from the article:

Most experts agree that integrating digital and conventional signage requires careful planning. Mark VanderKlipp, president, Corbin Design (www.corbindesign.com), Traverse City, Mich., offers the following suggestions to facilitate the design process:

Use consistent terminology. Make sure that every tool used for wayfinding consistently speaks to the visitor regardless of its format.

Use materials that match other wayfinding information in the hospital. By doing that, facility professionals create a pattern of elements that people learn to access for information. Use of color, typography and accents such as wood or aluminum should keep the wayfinding system visually consistent.

Update content on a regular basis. A team should meet regularly to keep electronic signage updated, by creating content based on patient needs and projecting a positive message as part of the hospital’s brand.

“Interactive elements provide almost limitless opportunities to put information in the public realm,” Vander Klipp says. “This information can become visual noise if not managed properly.”

Link to the article here.

Corbin Design and its partner firm, Avenue ISR generated this report, soon to be released.

A recent article in the Kansas City Star illustrates a project that Corbin Design directed for Hablamos Juntos. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, we were engaged by the SEGD and Hablamos Juntos for a research and design recommendations process. We led the project in partnership with Avenue ISR to develop baseline research around how people with limited English proficiency (LEP) access health care, whether they speak another language or have physical limitations. In some cases, the patients in the test facilities were from cultures unfamiliar with western medical practices – definitely a challenge to reach and direct such diverse audiences!

The objective of this process is to develop a standardized set of universally recognized symbols to describe medical procedures common throughout the majority of healthcare institutions. The difficulty, of course, is employing imagery that is intuitive to a broad spectrum of hospital patients, staff and visitors. Our task was to design standards for applying these symbols to wayfinding signage, then test their effectiveness for the audiences in question.

The article does a great job of describing the process that Children’s Mercy is currently rolling out:

Children’s Mercy Hospital is installing new signs to make the complex easier to navigate

A quick summary of our research results:

• 92% of all subjects agreed that they could easily find their destinations using the symbols based wayfinding system
• People from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds (from English and Spanish to Somali and Khmer) were able to effectively use the symbols to navigate
• Low literacy populations navigated the hospital more efficiently as well
• Even for those with excellent English reading and comprehension, the symbol system served as an effective support to finding destinations.

The Value of Local

Living in a relatively small town in an economically challenged state, we understand the intrinsic benefit of this concept. In fact, many of our staffers are involved in community initiatives to bring Traverse City, MI into a more global mindset, while building on the things that make our city unique. We know that the choices we make day to day either contribute to, or detract from, our local community. And we support this concept in communities across America; creatively rebuilding through local initiatives will help our nation pull out of this downturn.

It’s amazing the kinds of businesses that this area attracts. Daily we see examples of people who’ve chosen to live and work here, both for the quality of life it affords, as well as the opportunity for growth. Global enterprises and personalities have chosen Traverse City as a home base for many reasons; in response, we’ve grown to become a world class destination.

Lately we’ve experienced a movement toward localism as we’ve approached potential clients: a project in Illinois was awarded to an in-state competitor rather than our Michigan-based firm. Conversely, we have benefited from this mindset by winning projects in Michigan over out of state firms.

We’d like to take a moment to comment on this trend as we look toward the future.

The Value of Distance

With each new project, we bring the perspective of a first-time visitor. This allows us to be objective in our assessment and design, often leading to discoveries that might come as a surprise to our clients. The saying goes that a fish has no awareness of the water it’s in; in much the same way, the perspective of an outside resource can provide unforeseen value, especially as it relates to wayfinding.

Case in point: for one large regional client, we brought the point of view of that first-time visitor to the table: faced with a region containing almost 100 cities and townships, and within those several primary destinations, how do I find my way?

We’ve created a system of wayfinding cues that might not have been obvious to locals: first, we broke the region into three separate districts: downtown, the city limits and the county. Then we created permanent reference points for visitors: the network of highways that penetrate the region. Using these cues, a visitor can triangulate a destination in a number of ways: DOT signs, printed maps, wayfinding signage and/or technology tools. We saw a resource that locals took for granted and used it to wayfinding advantage. Destinations throughout the region can now use this simple logic as a coding device when communicating to their audiences; as new destinations are added, the system can expand indefinitely. New wayfinding signage currently being installed conveys this logic.

When should a community look beyond itself?

As we well know, not every service is available to every community. This is particularly true when one considers highly skilled and niche services such as wayfinding design and programming. Many institutions and cities have identified wayfinding as a priority, and often look to local resources as a first option. But if indeed they find that there are no qualified local designers, it’s important to look outside of their immediate area. Because public funds are often allocated for these projects, finding the most qualified company for the job ensures that those funds are invested wisely.

The Reality of Distance

While an outside perspective is valuable, sometimes an outside presence is questioned. We’ve seen this in many communities where we’ve worked: “why does it take a firm from Michigan to solve our local challenges? And why are we paying them to come all the way to (insert city name here) to do this work?”

Fair questions, to be sure.

In medicine, you bring in a specialist to diagnose, treat and develop a strategy to resolve your condition. But it would be a waste of time and money to rely on that specialist for day to day care. Rather, you rely on a local practitioner to help you with the day to day management of a condition. It’s exactly the same with design services: it’s your investment in design that puts you on the right track, if you’ll pardon the pun. It’s the designer’s investment in you that keeps everyone moving forward.

Additionally, technology allows us to be present when budgets do not. In recent years our cost of doing business has dropped substantially because of WebEx and other technologies. We regularly rely on Web-based mapping to confirm and reinforce wayfinding decisions; and we often partner with local firms for their perspective and presence as needed.

All Sign Shops Are Not Equal

The perspective we’re providing on design services applies equally to sign fabrication. We know that all cities have sign shops. So why wouldn’t an institution hire a local commercial sign shop to implement their wayfinding system? Experience tells us that not all sign shops are capable:

• At times, the complexity and management of a large project is beyond the capacity of a local sign fabricator
• Nationally-recognized fabricators can bring experience in project management, engineering, permitting and economies of scale to bear on a project, often saving time and money in the long run.
• These fabricators have access to a large shop in which to marshal supplies and store completed components prior to installation. Most commercial sign shops do not possess such capacity.
• Often wayfinding signs are located along major roadways and require installers to safely manage traffic while they work. A well-equipped, experienced installer is capable of accomplishing this.

Many of our clients use national fabricators to engineer and build wayfinding program elements. They often employ local subcontractors to assist in installation and management. But we know that for ongoing maintenance, it’s best to keep it local, to develop relationships and understanding over time to help maintain the system. The City of Grand Rapids is one example of many Corbin clients who’ve achieved success in this way.

Conclusion

If you look to our past experience, our clients have provided substantial evidence that there is value in choosing a specialized consultant to manage an important issue such as wayfinding. As with signage, not everyone has the experience or the capacity to do it efficiently or correctly. Our specialization in wayfinding design for our clients is in many ways unmatched in North America. We continue to draw on this experience as we bring our point of view to new challenges and partnerships.

We welcome your questions and commentary!

We’d like to explore the issue a bit further, starting with this question: So who visits patients?

Of course, multiple caregivers are frequently entering and exiting the room; we assume that they are sufficiently aware of any restrictions based on that patient’s confidential chart. Family may keep a recovering patient company; at intervals, there may be a large number of people of varying ages, abilities and relationships to the patient. Neighbors, friends and clergy may drop in to offer encouragement. The local florist might make a delivery, if allowed on patient floors.

From the standpoint of the patient, they may be compromised in a number of ways: they may need more rest than usual or their diet might be restricted. Contact with flowers or latex balloons might cause a reaction. Or they may be in a semi-private room, increasing the odds of exposure. For these reasons, all visitors need to be informed, prior to entering a patient room, of any situation that requires sensitivity.

This is tricky business. A facility must balance the need to prepare visitors with the need to protect a patient’s private medical information. This information, typically integrated with a room sign, should simply convey expected visitor behavior while in the patient’s room.

But often, technical information also needs to be displayed so staff can be aware of a patient’s condition at a glance, without delving through their entire history. We submit that this information should be clearly displayed within every patient’s room, using consistent form, location, color and functionality. This in-room system should be designed to accommodate frequent changes without compromising the patient’s health or privacy.

Type and symbols

When communicating to an audience in motion – such as a visitor in a medical environment – keep a few clear, concise messages visible to avoid information overload. Appropriate use of terminology, typography, symbolism and technology will help achieve effective communication. This sign type (designed and marketed by our friends at L&H Signs) has the right idea, but we’d submit that to most lay people, these symbols would be fairly obscure. Are they directed at staff or the general public? Should I stay in the hallway or go in?

Steps toward a solution

Our designers are working with selected healthcare clients and signage fabricators to develop a system of signage, symbology and terminology to address the needs above. We’ve drafted an icon symbol set that helps clarify messages and are prototyping a patient room identifier that contains the appropriate amount of information for both staff, visitors and the patient.

A quick preview of our location guidelines shows how general, public-facing information should be displayed in the hallway, and more detailed information in the patient room. Part of our contribution to a healthcare project is a best-practices description of these ideas, based on past experience with clients and current thinking on patient privacy.

Information to be shared on the outside of the room includes:

• No food or drink
• Latex sensitive/Allergy
• No flowers
• Do not enter, see nurse
• Mask and gown required
• Grieving
• Keep door closed

And on the inside, for staff:

• No blood pressure or vein puncture: right or left arm
• Lymph risk
• Calorie count
• Fluid restrictions
• No visitors
• Name alert
• 24 hour urine
• Wash hands
• Wear gloves
• Radiation caution
• Droplet contact isolation
• Airborne contact isolation

We look forward to collaborating with our clients and fabrication resources to deliver better patient care. Future blog posts will provide updates on our progress.

As part of our larger partnership philosophy, Corbin actively seeks relationships with companies that can increase both our capabilities and our market reach; in doing so, we bring more complete service offerings to our clients. In a globally connected world, with so many different ways to give and receive information, it’s critical that we take a deeper look at the issues and expectations of our clients’ target audiences. More often than not, the need for a wayfinding signage program is just one of many potential solutions to improve a visitor’s experience. Avenue ISR brings creative, empathetic research techniques that allow us to engage more fully with our clients.

D E E P E R   Q U E S T I O N S   L E A D   T O   B E T T E R   A N S W E R S

This partnership has been fruitful: Woody and his team have helped us develop new insights in several healthcare-related projects throughout the US: Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, IA; Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, NY and Saint Mary’s Health Care in Grand Rapids, MI. Each of these projects is currently in process.

We are also working with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Hablamos Juntos and the SEGD on a comprehensive research program to help determine the impact that symbol-driven wayfinding solutions can have in healthcare environments. While the study focuses specifically on patients with limited English proficiency (LEP), these systems have been designed to benefit all users in healthcare settings.

An example of the proliferation of signage that the Hablamos Juntos program is designed to correct

Corbin and Avenue ISR were contracted to travel to four facilities located in different regions throughout the US. These facilities ranged from a major urban medical center in the Southeast to a collection of clinics in the Pacific Northwest. In each case, patient demographics varied widely, as did the range of services offered to these patients.

A selection of symbols used in the Hablamos Juntos program

Our research objective was to measure how well the existing wayfinding systems were working in each facility, then develop design standards for creating a prototype signage system that includes the Hablamos Juntos symbols. In the fall/winter of 2009, we will visit each facility again to test the effectiveness of the improved wayfinding signage for LEP populations. This research is meant to measure the effectiveness of the symbols in hospitals and clinics where diverse populations have difficulty accessing healthcare, thereby eliminating barriers to care and improving the quality of  service. We will publish a future blog post that summarizes our findings.

We look forward to many more productive and interesting engagements with Avenue ISR. Thanks to Woody and his team for contributing to this article.

Woody Smith, President and Founder of Avenue ISR, is a 15-year veteran of strategic marketing and marketing research. He has conducted engagements with many companies using strategic insights to guide business turnarounds, new product/new market entry, brand strategy, customer loyalty, and marketing efficiency. Techniques used include focus groups, surveys, in-depth interviews, mystery shopping, and point of purchase intercepts. Smith is the author of numerous articles concerning marketing research, brand development and retail strategy. Woody has developed many of Avenue ISR’s proprietary research techniques and deliverables. He holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BA from Williams College.