Serving more than 230,000 people over 14 counties, Benefis Health System in the city of Great Falls, Montana has a long history of presenting unified services to a widespread audience. But with three separate locations spread over a two-and-a-half mile stretch between Warden Park and Russel Park, they found that clients and visitors attempting to move between their campuses often got lost. They knew they needed a wayfinding solution that would meet the needs of a large and mobile audience, so they reached out to Visix for help.
Visix’s award-winning creative team designed a single mobile-friendly wayfinding solution that’s shown on numerous digital signs throughout all three campuses. It offers wayfinding paired with searchable directories, designed with their branding and in a mobile-friendly format. Displays are placed in high traffic areas, like entryways and the onsite café, to give visitors a quick, convenient way to navigate the facilities.
Each of the three Benefis campuses are outfitted with interactive touchscreens that show maps of the entire campus layout, plans of individual buildings within each campus, and separate maps for each floor within buildings. For easy orientation, floor maps also show a “you are here” indicator for the particular display being used. ADA-friendly navigation buttons on screens let people quickly switch to one of the other campus locales.
To help people find their destinations, screens offer three interactive directory options. One allows visitors to find a particular provider, another a specific department, and the third for any events happening on any of the three campuses. Once someone locates their target, they can click a quick “map it” button in the directory to see a line path overlayed on maps to direct them to their endpoint.
The addition of a mobile widget on each display allows visitors to enter their phone number using an onscreen keypad. This sends them a text message with a link to the full interactive project so they can view it and interact with it on their personal device. Since the project is designed in responsive HTML5 code, it resizes correctly for any screen size. This helps make sure that people can get where they need to go without having to stop along the way to recheck screens or ask staff for clarification or more directions.
Comprehensive wayfinding is useful in any location, and navigating healthcare facilities can be stressful for some people. Reducing that stress by removing barriers and frustration is not only healthier for the audience but adds a layer of caretakership to the entire visitor experience. Utilizing technology solutions that are already common and comfortable, like touchscreens and mobiles, gives people a sense of the familiar. By giving them mobile-friendly wayfinding that lets them take the info with them, they can concentrate on the purpose of their visit versus finding the right room.
Benefis traces their roots all the way back to 1892. With their wayfinding solution from Visix, they’ve continued their trend of adapting and modernizing to serve their community in the 21st century.