Wayfinding with empathy. This design reimagines hospital navigation through care, clarity, and calm — embodying DIAC’s Design Impacts Framework.
Entro – Hospital Wayfinding for Senior’s Medical Center
Client: UHN Hospital
Graphic Design: Entro
Designer: Nima Gopalakrishnan
Project Completion: Still in progress
Target audience: Senior's emergency medical center patients
Entro is an experiential design firm focuses on empathy and excellence, with a holistic approach that values collaboration, research, and innovation. Since 1990, their team of 70+ experts has shaped global experiences, with offices in Toronto, New York, Calgary, Vancouver, and Zürich.
3 key points
Nature: Floral Composition
Environmental murals inspired by the flower life cycle created a cohesive, gentle visual language, while intuitive floral icons helped users navigate without text. This approach enhances accessibility by offering easily recognizable symbols that reduce confusion.
Community Input
Involving community members in the design process ensured the project was rooted in real user needs and experiences. This input added meaningful value by helping the team make informed decisions.
Enlarged Typography
The design team focused on accessibility by using enlarged text and colour, using calming earthy tones like yellow, green, and orange to support comfort and intuitive wayfinding.
The DIAC Design Impact Framework centers around five key themes:
1. VISION: Design embodies the vision
How does the design communicate core values, support intuitive wayfinding, and enhance the user experience through a thoughtful, user-centered process?
The design prioritizes user experience with a focus on accessibility, using enlarged text, clear communication, and environmental graphics like murals to enhance both the brand and wayfinding. Color is thoughtfully applied to identify zones, with intuitive cues like symbols and consistent signage guiding users throughout the space. The design process, centered on storytelling and user-centered principles, ensures a cohesive and easily navigable environment that values clarity and ease of recognition for all users.
2. FUNCTIONALITY: Design enhances functionality
How did the design enhance the project’s function, and how did graphic design elements improve the space’s functionality
The project created a calming environment for emergency care patients, especially those with dementia and delirium, by using soothing, accessible graphic elements based on community feedback. Avoiding seasonal themes and large animals reduced disorientation, while collaboration with architects enhanced the design, benefiting users with a more effective, thoughtful space.
3. BRAND: Design creates brand
Did the design integrate an existing brand or create a new one, and how did graphic elements enhance the brand identity and user experience?
Signage standards align with those at Toronto Western Hospital, with consistent typography and a new brand for the emergency center using three distinct colors. The design process focused on user needs, reinforcing the brand and supporting the hospital’s commitment to patient care.
4. ENVIRONMENT: Design embeds environmental benefits
How did the design incorporate environmental benefits into wayfinding and graphic design elements, and how did these elements promote sustainability within the space?
The design focused on sustainability through the use of durable materials like acrylic/aluminum signage and high-quality vinyl wall coverings, with a balance of materials suited for a hospital setting, ensuring longevity and adherence to current metrics for lasting performance.
5. HEALTH & WELLBEING: Design promotes health and wellbeing
How does the project support health and wellbeing, and how did design elements like calming visuals or intuitive signage add value for users' mental and physical health?
The design directly supports health and wellbeing in a high stress setting by promoting calm and minimizing agitation through strategic placement and imagery. Using "progressive disclosure," users are provided with information only when needed.
6. Key Success Performance Indicators
The design promotes user wellbeing by reducing agitation and using "progressive disclosure" for information delivery in high-stress environments. Durable materials, consistent branding, and a user-centered design approach ensure long-lasting sustainability, enhanced accessibility, and intuitive wayfinding. (Note: As the project is still under construction, no feedback has been received on the completed project yet.)
