You are here: Home > About us > News and events > News archive > 2012 > ‘Show us the way’ project—user testing this week

‘Show us the way’ project—user testing this week

20 November 2012

More than 150 patients, visitors, Foundation Trust members and staff took part in the ‘Show us the way’ wayfinding consultation earlier this year by completing a survey or attending a focus group.

More than 150 patients, visitors, Foundation Trust members and staff took part in the ‘Show us the way’ wayfinding consultation earlier this year by completing a survey or attending a focus group.

‘Show us the way’ is a major new project to help make it easier for patients and visitors to find their way around Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

The Trust has made good progress in developing its plans to improve signage in the hospital, taking into account the feedback from the consultation exercise, and this Friday 23 and Saturday 24 November we will be carrying out some user testing with a range of people of different age groups and backgrounds to test out these plans.

We will be testing a number of routes to different clinics which means that on these days patients and visitors will see some areas of the hospital with temporary signage, and people wandering around with clipboards observing the test users and taking some photos.

The Trust’s wayfinding strategy will be approved by the Board of Directors before the plans become reality in 2013 as Chelsea and Westminster Hospital gets a major revamp to mark the 20th anniversary of the hospital opening in 1993.

More information about the ‘Show us the way’ project will be publicised early in the new year once the plans have been finalised.

What is wayfinding?

Wayfinding is not just about direction signs in the hospital, it also includes:

  • Ensuring that the names we call departments are simple and easy to understand
  • Providing maps at key points around the hospital
  • Making sure that appointment letters are clear and consistent with the signs
  • Using new technology such as electronic patient information screens
  • Providing high quality information on the Trust website