Session Detail

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Monday, December 6, 2021  |  3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Open to Conference Attendees Only

Empathic wayfinding: more cues, smarter tech and fewer signs

Linzi Eggers
Senior Designer, Cloud Gehshan
Ian Goldberg
Principal, Cloud Gehshan
Andrew Shinn
Senior Planner, Real Estate, Planning, Construction, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Many tools comprise an intuitive wayfinding system - some static, some digital. For Brigham and Women's Hospital's wayfinding master designers looked at the door-to-door visitor experience with a goal of a helpful and comprehensive system that would alleviate visitor anxiety and stress. A web-based customizable app was developed to give step-by-step assistance. The system employs geo-magnetic positioning which eliminates the need to install and maintain beacons. The app has a map feature that adds technology, showing a person's position in real time. Multiple search options help ease the process. Signage clarifies entrance options, especially important since BW resides in the dense Longwood Medical Area. Staff highlight a visitor's route on simplified printed maps with bilingual directories. A reorganized interior circulation strategy, reduction in sign quantity, clear nomenclature and decreased information load reduce visitor stress when navigating the facility.


1. Discover wayfinding tools for the entire “door-to-door" visitor experience
2. Develop strategies and simplicity to help people navigate a complex facility
3. Discover how to develop and maintain a system that can change and adjust over time
4. Listen to how digital, handheld devices, apps can help, and what they can and can't do, lessons learned