Hospital Wayfinding

Patients and visitors at hospitals and other healthcare facilities face some unique wayfinding challenges, including large, complex environments; multiple destinations during their visit; unfamiliar terminology; and stress caused by illness or frightening diagnoses.

fd2s is a world leader in the evaluation, planning, and design of wayfinding programs that address these challenges, utilizing best practices that include the use of consistent, non-technical language for wayfinding elements; the creation of well-defined public pathways; reducing signage clutter; ensuring consistent delivery and content of wayfinding information; and creating processes that maintain the accuracy of wayfinding components in the future.

Our healthcare clients include both large and small institutions, ranging from large hospitals such as the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston; the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center; and Rush University Medical Center in Chicago; to smaller regional hospitals such as Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois; and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida.

In addition to this site’s overview of our Wayfinding Consulting Services, there are a variety of other resources available online or upon request to help you learn more about our approach to solving hospital wayfinding challenges.

Project Pages

The Texas Medical Center – A comprehensive exterior wayfinding program and wayfinding website for the world’s largest medical center.

The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center – An integrated wayfinding solution for one of the world’s largest healthcare facilities.

The Texas Children’s Hospital – Wayfinding and donor recognition elements for a major renovation and expansion project.

Duke University Medical Center – A comprehensive wayfinding and identification signage program for the renovation and expansion of a world-class emergency department.

UCSF Medical Center – A comprehensive wayfinding master plan for two large urban campuses in San Francisco.

The University of Colorado Hospital – Interior and exterior signage for a new 12-story inpatient facility on the site of the former former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center near Denver.

Dell Children’s Medical Center – An integrated donor recognition program for a new children’s hospital in Austin, Texas.

Micro Sites

M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Access Micro Site – Offering a more detailed description of our work on the development of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center’s Access wayfinding program.

fd2s Wayfinding Website Solution – A site that details our approach to creating wayfinding web sites that combine the features and well-known interface of Google Maps with the ability to add customized building footprints and directions. An additional live example of this system can be found at the Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center Pathfinder web site.

White Papers

Healthcare Wayfinding Self-Evaluation – This document was created to help healthcare administrators and staff determine the extent of wayfinding problems in their facilities. It consists of questions – divided into the categories of signage, printed materials, interactive tools, operations, and other – that are intended to both bring conspicuous issues into clearer focus, and also point out less obvious missed opportunities for improving the patient and visitor experience with better wayfinding.

Making the Case for Wayfinding Committees in Healthcare Organizations – A white paper written for facility managers or administrators at hospitals that are contemplating a major wayfinding initiative, and wondering if a wayfinding committee will help their efforts, or those that have already created a committee and are looking to make it work more efficiently.

More Information

If you would like to talk about the specific wayfinding needs of your healthcare facility, request a proposal, or inquire about an introductory visit to your campus, please contact Mark Denton at mdenton@fd2s.com or 512.476.7733.