Las orientaciones de la descentralización

The subsections that follow pay closer attention to two practical examples where recommendations for change were made based on the careful consideration of both the objective and indexical meanings of directional arrows. They are taken from the old and complex setting of Salford Royal hospital.

Salford Royal hospital gave further permission to conduct experiments testing suggested solutions to specific problems caused by ill positioned arrows in the setting. Two experiments

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were proposed: one testing the suggested solution to the ambiguity caused by the sign above a cupboard door as discussed below and the other testing the efficacy of colour coded arrows designed to solve several breakdowns encountered by wayfinders seeking to reach departments accessible via a connecting corridor on the first floor (Appendix 2 contains a proposal of the second experiment). With both experiments, the original intention was to use participant observation to monitor the behaviour of the wayfinders in order to produce yet another set of uniquely adequate analytical descriptions of the changed setting. Some of the wayfinding guidelines developed in phases 3 and 4 were evaluated during phase 5 of the study.

7.4.1 The problem of the arrow above a cupboard door

The setting discussed here is that which is analysed in section 5.2.2. The original intention to install and test the right pointing arrow in order to solve the problems occurring here did not materialise. However, the simple removal of all the signs amounted to a change in the design of the wayfinding system enough to justify testing. Further permission to monitor the response of wayfinders to the changed setting was granted. This monitoring amounted to observing the behaviour of wayfinders at different times of the day chosen at random. This pattern allowed for the inclusion of the hours when it is almost impossible to turn to anyone for directions. The direct observations were supplemented by conversations with other visitors to the hospital and with members of staff and hospital voluntary workers.

As soon the wayfinder walks through the set of double doors seen in the first picture the stairs and the corridor to the right become apparent. The sign forbidding entry via the stairs is now the first piece of information that catches the wayfinders attention unlike in the previous arrangement where attention was immediately directed to the sign above the door. The installation of the right pointing arrow did not materialise but as the simple removal of all the signs amounted to a change in the design of the wayfinding system it was enough to justify a fresh study of the behaviour of the wayfinders in response to the changed setting.

The complete removal of signs appears to have greatly reduced the confusion that used to occur in the setting described earlier. The behaviour of the wayfinder in the new setting has now changed from clear confusion to what appears to be an effortless navigation which amounts to following the corridor to the right as soon as the wayfinder establishes that the stairs do not lead anywhere. In the previous setting, the presence of the wayfinding instruction

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above the door clearly gave rise to several possibilities one of which presented the stairs as a problem.

However, it is clear from the behaviour of the wayfinder in response to the transformed environment that this is longer the case. Here the physical properties of the environment appear to allow smooth wayfinding with little need for signs or verbal instructions. Currently the task of making sense of this part of the hospital appears to be so effortless that a counter argument for not solving the problem by placing a right pointing arrow can be justified. This goes to further justify the importance of prioritising the physical properties (affordances) of the environment in designing wayfinding strategies and systems. From a lean point of view it can be argued that this would lead to a reduction of waste in resources as there is no need to produce costly signs.

7.4.2 The problem of the arrow in the connecting corridor

As with the problem of the connecting corridor two methods for testing the impact of the colour-coded arrows on wayfinding behaviour were suggested: participant observation (ethnography) and direct observation in the Virtual Environment of Second Life. It was proposed that over an intensive period of 7 days the behaviour of wayfinders at the transformed setting should be monitored using the participant observation method. Half of the week would be spent on observations starting as early as 0700hr ending at 1400hr and the other half was spent on observations starting at 1400hr lasting until 1900hrs. Direct observation in Second Life was suggested as means of comparing the behaviour of wayfinders in the real setting of Salford Royal hospital with that of wayfinders in the virtual model of the same hospital. It was hoped that extending the testing in this way would provide more insights into the value of using information technology to aid wayfinding. A more detailed description of the proposed experiment can be found in Appendix 4.

Unfortunately for reasons beyond the control of the researcher, this experiment did not materialise. Time and timing were largely the deciding factors. However, although the original intentions failed part evaluation of the efficacy of colour coded arrows was done at three separate stakeholder meetings two of which were attended by the researchers from the university. The researchers were informed that a team of executive decision makers at the

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hospital had accepted the proposed solution as a viable solution to the current problem of the connecting corridor. Thus time and resources allowing the experiment is yet to be realised.