Research indicates thousands of hours of staff time in large health-care facilities and campuses are spent answering visitors’ questions about how to find their destinations. Granted, it only takes a few seconds or minutes each time to provide the necessary directions, but having to respond to wayfinding questions consumes valuable resources, as employees are interrupting their own work routines for this purpose.
研究表明，大型医疗机构和校园中，工作人员需要花费数千小时的时间用于回答访问者寻路的问题。当然，提供必要的指导只需要花费几秒或几分钟的时间，但是，这种断断续续地指导会让员工打断自己的工作日程，而造成不必要的资源浪费。
Meanwhile, the frustration of being disoriented during their health-care experience is significantly reducing patients’ level of satisfaction. In surveys of patient complaints, getting lost continually appears high on the list.
一些情况下，医疗结构的一些患者在询问路况问题时，可能依然得不到清晰的答案。
In response, many health-care organizations are devoting a lot of attention today to providing more effective orientation and wayfinding instructions. Too often, however, they assume signs alone are the solution to this problem.
作为回应，许多卫生保健组织都在致力于提供更有效的定位和寻路指示。然而，他们经常认为，做几个简单的迹象就能解决问题。
While it is likely signs will always be the mainstay of any wayfinding program, simply adding more signs will not inherently solve a facility’s wayfinding problems. Instead of a greater number of signs, the objective should be to make the existing sign system more effective.
虽然寻路导视系统以标识的形式呈现，但简单地添加标识项目不能彻底地解决设施的寻路问题，如何将现有的标识系统更有效的发挥作用，不是建立更多的标识才是关键。
Signs need to guide people in a logically unfolding sequence. Messages should be presented simply and clearly, such that even first-time visitors are able to immediately recognize their destination and the path to get there.
标识上的内容应该简单明了地呈现，即使作为第一次来访者，也能够立即识别他们的目的地，或路径。
Currently, however, signs in most health-care facilities disseminate too much information and often at the wrong locations. Though based on a genuine desire to provide sufficient detail, they end up offering directions to virtually any place someone might need to go, usually too early in their journey, which only adds to confusion.
目前，大多数医疗机构的标识设立传播的信息太多太复杂，而且经常出现错误的问题。导视系统基于真正的目的是为来访者提供足够的细节，这些细节需要体现一个先后顺序，以便提供最终目的指示，没有层理设置，通常只会混淆目标和方向。
Progressive and alphanumeric
渐进的字母与数字内容
One solution to this problem of too much information on signs is progressive disclosure. This concept involves providing only the information needed to move a visitor from one decision point to the next.
对标识信息过多的问题，专业人士有了很好的解决方案。这个概念是为访问者提供从一个移动决策点到另一个决策点所需的信息。
This method is already used very effectively in most airports, for example, where passengers are guided in increments—first to the correct parking lot, then to the terminal building, then to the departures concourse and ultimately to the flight gate.
在大多数机场中，这种方法已被非常有效地使用，例如，他们对乘客以增量方式进行引导，首先，进入正确的停车场，然后进入候机楼，再进入出发大厅，最后进入飞行大门。
In an airport, passengers know their destination by way of their airline’s name, flight number and gate number and can follow highly visible cues. In a health-care environment, however, even when patients know a physician’s name and/or department, there tends to be little or nothing intuitive about the path to their destination. This is because health-care facilities are not organized linearly like airports are. For this reason, progressive disclosure in a hospital presents unique planning challenges.
在机场，乘客通过他们的航空公司名称、航班号和登机口号来了解他们的目的地，并且可以遵循高度可见的线索。然而，在医疗环境中，即使患者知道医生的姓名或部门，对于通往目的地的路径却是非常有限，而且不知应如何辨识方向，医疗机构不像机场那样是一种线性组织，出于这个原因，为医院建立一套完备的标识导视系统的计划逐步展开。
There are also challenges with regard to choosing the most appropriate wayfinding language. Indeed, a common pitfall for health-care wayfinding programs is the failure to communicate with patients in terms they can easily understand.
另一方面，在选择合适的引路语言方面也存在挑战。标识的内容无法直接与病人沟通，需要很直接明了地给出信息。
Traditionally, the naming of various health-care departments, facilities and other destinations has relied on medical terminology, including designations for specific practice areas and specialties. Unfortunately, this naming process comprises terms that are arcane and unfamiliar—and sometimes even frightening—to the first-time hospital visitor. Most people do not know ophthalmology, for instance, refers to eye care.
传统上，各种卫生保健部门和其他目的地的命名依赖于医学术语，包括具体实践领域和专业的名称。这些术语对首次入院的访问者来说非常不熟悉。例如，大多数人不知道眼科学，就是指眼科护理。
Better wayfinding demands a different, simpler approach to health-care language. Primary destinations should be labelled alphanumerically. This way, if visitors arrive pre-informed of their key starting points (e.g. parking lot or main building), they can simply follow a series of signs. At each point closer to their destination, additional alphanumeric listings are provided (e.g. elevator, floor and room designations) with reference to the department or office they seek.
更好的寻路标识需要一种不同而更简单的语言，主要可以通过字母数字来呈现。通过这种方式，事先通知访问者到达关键起点（例如停车场或主楼），他们可以简单地遵循一系列的标识进行寻路。在离目的地较近的每一点上，参考他们所寻求的部门或办公室，提供附加的字母数字列表（例如电梯，楼层和房间名称）。
Alphanumeric naming and progressive disclosure can simplify communications significantly. Since both practices require fewer instructions to be viewed and remembered by the visitor, signs end up with more space for larger type, which in turn means greater legibility for visitors, patients and staff alike.
字母数字命名需要有渐进性和简化的效果。由于较少的指示才能被访问者观看并记忆，因此，标识最终会用于较大的类型，这意味着对访问者、患者和工作人员都能增加易读性。
The challenge of this approach, however, is first making sure patients receive the orientation details for an upcoming appointment, including a clear name of their destination, before they actually need to arrive on-site. This is important because—unlike airports with relatively obvious paths and destinations—hospitals and other large-scale health-care facilities are generally ‘blind labyrinths’ with no architectural clues to the correct path. Signs are crucial, but knowing the wayfinding system’s language first is also crucial.
然而，这种方法面临的挑战是，首先要确保患者在实际需要到达目的地之前，获得定向细节，包括明确的目的地名称。与具有相对明显路径和目的地的机场不同之处是，医院和其他大型医疗机构通常是“盲目的迷宫”，没有任何建筑线索可以找到正确的道路。所以，首先了解导向系统的语言非常重要。
So, to ensure people understand where they are going, information needs to be communicated to them in advance of their visit. There are many possible tools for this purpose, including appointment reminders, brochures, websites, mobile wayfinding apps and phone call reminders. It is essential for all of these communications tools, as well as the facility’s signs, to share a common wayfinding language.
为了确保人们了解他们的去向，需要在访问之前向他们传达信息。这里有许多工具可用于此处，包括预约提醒、小册子、网站、移动寻路应用程序和电话提醒。所有这些通信工具以及设施都必须共用一种通用的寻路语言。
Advocating clarity
清晰度
This concept of using comprehensive wayfinding instructions to orient patients well in advance of their visit has already proven highly effective. It offers an opportunity to share the facility’s wayfinding language while also directly informing a patient how to get to an appointment.
这种全面的寻路指令已被证明是非常有效，它提供了该设施的寻路语言机会，同时还直接告知病人如何预约。
One successful example is Advocate Children’s Hospital in Chicago, Ill., which recently commissioned a wayfinding master plan (WMP) to enhance facility navigation for its customers, in conjunction with a new branding program. The recommended WMP included a wide variety of communications tools for patients, visitors and staff.
一个成功的例子是在伊利诺伊州芝加哥的Advocate儿童医院，该机构最近委托制定了寻路总体计划（WMP），并结合新的品牌计划，以加强设施的导航，此外，WMP包括为患者、访问者和工作人员提供各种通信工具。
The foundation of the program was predicated on providing simple step-by-step directions that correspond to Advocate’s organizational structure and the naming of its facilities. Prior to an appointment, tools for informing patients about how to get to their destination would include:
该计划的基于对组织结构和设施命名提供相对应的逐步指导。在预约之前，告知患者如何到达目的地使用的工具包括：
a simple, printed wayfinding brochure for Advocate Children’s Hospital with a map showing each building’s name and location.
倡导儿童医院的简单寻路手册，手册上显示每座建筑物的名称和位置。
a standard-format appointment card, digitally customized with more specific step-to-step instructions based on the exact appointment location.
标准格式的预约卡，根据确切的预约位置以数字方式自定义，并提供更详细的逐步说明。
an appointment e-mail, providing instructions in clear wayfinding language.
预约电子邮件，以清晰的寻路方式提供指导。
an optional appointment text message, delivering the same step-by-step instructions, but in a more simplified format.
可选的短信，采用更简化的格式，提供分步说明。
Further, while at home or at work before their appointment, patients could visit the hospital’s website, where a wayfinding menu would list departments and their corresponding directions. It was also important to train—using a simple, web-based program—the hospital’s call-in staff to use consistent ‘appointment scripting’ when providing directions to visitors over the phone.
此外，在家中，病人可以访问医院的网站，网站上有一个寻路菜单可以列出部门及其相应的指示。基于网络的程序，医院的呼入人员在通过电话向访问者提供指导时，必须使用一致的“预约脚本”。
The WMP also recommended a wayfinding mobile app, whereby patients could refer to relevant information as they moved along their path, including details about specific parking zones, buildings and departments. Signs along their route, meanwhile, would use the same wayfinding language throughout the system, in roughly the following order:
WMP还推荐了一种寻路手机应用程序，病人可以在他们沿着路径移动时，参考相关信息，包括关于特定停车区、建筑物和部门的详细信息。与此同时，沿着路线的标识将在整个系统中显示相同的寻路语言，大致按以下顺序进行：
off-site directional traffic signs.
场外定向交通标识。
building identification (ID) branding.
建筑识别（ID）。
on-site directional traffic signs.
现场定向交通标识。
directional parking signs.
定向停车标识。
parking area ‘flags.’
停放区标识。
outpatient entrance markers.
门诊入口标识。
primary indoor directional signs.
主要室内指示标识。
outpatient lobbies.
门诊大厅。
departmental directories.
部门导视牌。
elevator directories.
电梯导视标识。
secondary indoor directional signs.
辅助室内指示标识。
department and room ID signs.
部门和房间ID标识牌。
Making it work
呈现的作用
Any comprehensive WMP and sign program based on alphanumeric language and simple graphics must also engage all personnel within the health-care facility. While solving wayfinding problems is typically the responsibility of the facility manager, success in changing the way an organization addresses wayfinding will depend on involving a broad group of stakeholders. Executives, staff, information technology (IT) specialists and brand managers will all need to understand the program and ‘buy in.’
基于字母数字语言和简单图形的寻路标识导视系统必须聘用医疗机构内的专业人员，虽然解决寻路问题通常是设施经理的责任，但成功改变组织上的寻路的方式，需要缜密的结构，这毕竟涉及广泛相关群体的利益。高层管理人员、员工、信息技术（IT）专家和品牌经理都需要了解该计划。
Once everyone is on the same page, wayfinding can be implemented in such a way that it enhances the visitor’s experience and prevents the many headaches that in the past were common when trying to get people to their destinations on time.
一旦每个指导人员都有相同的口径，那么，这种方式可以增强访问者的体验，并防止过去在试图让人们按时到达目的地时出现常见的的问题。
After all, even with the most comprehensive wayfinding plan in place, there will still be visitors asking for directions. To maximize success, therefore, all personnel throughout the facility must understand its wayfinding system and be able to give directions that are consistent with its established language.
即使有全面的寻路标识导视系统，仍然会有访问者询问路线。因此，为了发挥作用，设施内的所有人员必须理解其寻路系统，并能够提供与标识上的内容一致进行指导。
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