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Wayfinding Case Study: Amherst Senior Center

Goal

Enhance wayfinding experience of seniors, visitors, and staff at Amherst Senior Center.

Issues Identified:

No exterior signs
No building map or directory
No hierarchy of spaces
Building zones not defined (e.g. activity areas)
All hallways look the same and blend with open areas
From the hallway, activity spaces are difficult to distinguish from each other
Lack of consistent directional signs
Confusing information on room signs
Inconsistent sign position (e.g. either on doors, or on hinge side instead of on latch side)
Activity spaces are difficult to distinguish from one another from the corridor
Too many paintings on corridor walls

Consulting Services Provided:

Initial Feedback:

We developed the following solutions to enhance the wayfinding experience.

Identify, categorized and prioritize all wall information
Identify hallway art to be relocated to other areas
Remove all informational flyers and develop policy on acceptable locations for flyers
Create a directory of departments and staff

Design Work

We developed an interior sign and color-coding system that includes a directory, building map, signs for rooms, corridors and important zones and activity spaces.

End Results

The directory is composed of five large, colorful panels arranged vertically, with facility branding at the top. Each color block represents a hallway and each lists the major activity rooms and directional arrow. The directory is positioned to be easily seen from the entryway.