A Case Study on Improving Accessibility of Healthcare Care Facility in Low-resource Settings

Accessibility in a hospital is challenging for people in low-income countries due to a lack of accessible mediums to communicate wayfinding, accessibility, and healthcare information. This results in delays and stress but can also result in sub-optimal treatment or sometimes a complete lack of treatment for the visitors. Sensible physical and digital interventions can greatly ease the experience of visitors and reduce the work-related stress of healthcare providers. We present a case study on wayfinding and service design for a mega ophthalmic care facility that has a daily footfall of 2500 patients. From our mixed-methods study we identified: (i) there are very few accessible mediums available to communicate wayfinding, accessibility, and healthcare information; (ii) there is a lack of inclusively designed interventions to accommodate the diversity of visitors; (iii) spatial ambiguity and situational impairment due to crowd density exasperate the situation and (iv) there exist missing as well as misleading information. We developed a spectrum of solutions on the environmental and digital infrastructures available within this context to deliver wayfinding and procedural information. We completed a progressive intervention across digital and physical mediums over a duration of 18 months. This has shown the impact of each medium on visitors' experience. We found the choice of interface to access information depends on the ease of access, and ease of access depends on visitors' abilities. Therefore, both the environment and digital mediums are found to be useful for visitors. Based on these empirical findings, we draw recommendations for an inclusive service design that incorporates using elements of the environment, human and digital infrastructure to support a more positive healthcare visitors experience

Wayfinding Behavior in India

International audienceIndia is highly heterogeneous in the way cities are laid out; the way people use landmarks and how certain cultural aspects affect wayfinding. These factors influence the design of maps and navigation systems.Users from Mumbai and Rajasthan were interviewed to explore such implications and find design opportunities. These users had low education levels and needed to find addresses on a regular basis. The study was centered on the Indian context.People in India rarely use maps for navigation. They rely primarily on asking around and navigate using landmarks. The landmarks people use during this are prominent but sometimes highly volatile and ad hoc like cows and people sitting on street corners. Some of these landmarks may not necessarily always be popular. While inquiring about the route, people repeatedly seek reliable sources en route, to validate the information they have. Other findings during the study include people’s preferences in using maps and concerns while seeking directions. Mental models of people also affect the way people navigate and exchange the wayfinding information. Some of these are very specific to the Indian context.In the end, we also discuss how these findings will affect the design of navigation and (culture-centric) wayfinding systems