Influence of spatial organization and signage systems on wayfinding in hospitals: The case of TOBB ETU Hospital

The aim of this study is to reveal the effects of spatial organization and sign systems on wayfinding performance in hospitals. It is aimed to determine how these elements affect the experience of wayfinding of users with various qualifications in hospital. In this context, a field study was conducted in TOBB (Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges) ETU (University of Economy & Technology) Hospital in Ankara Söğütözü district. Accordingly, accessing performance of the users and the period starting from the entrance to the polyclinic of otorhinolaryngology, mostly used in 2018 as a round trip have been examined. In this study, directional signs regarding the current situation in TOBB ETU Hospital were used as data collection and an on-site determination study was conducted based on the findings of Bechtel and Churchman (2002) about wayfinding strategy. Within this scope, the study was carried out in three stages. In the first stage, the indoor space organization of the hospital was analyzed through hospital floor plans. In the second stage, the data of sign systems that Lynch (1960) had categorized were used and all the details including the type, size, colors, hanging heights of the current sign systems in the hospital were examined. In the final stage, the study has been deepened with a survey by observing O'Neill's (1991) wayfinding behavior standards. Questionnaires including structured questions has constituted the framework of the survey. Moreover, the walking distance of the survey participants to the target polyclinic as a round trip and the way they followed have been measured as the types of actions and evaluated accordingly. The relationship between these notions, time and the differences in the personal characteristics that cause diversity in people's behaviors were tried to be proved using SPSS correlation analysis program. The routes followed by the participants were recorded in the user maps and notes were taken regarding the participants' behavior, pausing period and their attention to the sign systems. It has been noted that the spatial organization / plan of the hospital and the sign systems, signage and direction information in the hospital are effective in terms of easy wayfinding of the participants on their routes as the results of the analysis. According to these findings, the hypothesis that "The indoor space organization and sign systems are effective in wayfinding experiences of hospital users" has been confirmed. In addition, it was revealed how this experience has been differentiated for users having different backgrounds. The variables such as age, gender, and familiarity status have not played a very significant role for the success of wayfinding in this hospital whereas the educational status has affected the values. In this thesis, the researcher has produced guidelines for architects or designers in wayfinding that should be taken into account during the designing phase. The study has also developed recommendations to further in the field of wayfinding.