Signage And Wayfinding In Supported Accommodation

A building that needs a lot of signs to be navigable is a building that was laid out badly.

Which is the first principle of wayfinding in supported accommodation. The layout does most of the work, contrast and light do the rest, and signage covers the specific things a sign is actually good at.

Layout first

A resident with a cognitive condition, a memory impairment or low vision navigates by sequence and by landmark rather than by reading.

So the plan is made legible. A single clear circulation route rather than a branching one. Sightlines from the entry to the places somebody needs to reach. The bathroom visible from the bedroom door, which is the single most useful relationship in the dwelling. No corridor that looks identical to another corridor.

That geometry is set in the circulation design described in [doorways, corridors and circulation space](/blog/doorways-corridors-and-circulation-space), and getting it right removes most of the need for direction signs.

Contrast does more than signage

Luminance contrast is the measurable difference in lightness between two surfaces, and it is what makes a building readable to somebody with low vision.

Where it matters:

**Door leaf against the wall,** so a doorway is visible rather than inferred.

**Door hardware against the door,** so the handle can be found.

**Floor against wall,** so the extent of the room is clear.

**The leading edge of a step or a threshold,** so a level change is seen before it is reached.

**Sanitary fixtures against the wall and floor,** which is why an all-white bathroom is difficult for a resident with low vision and why the contrast is specified in accessible bathroom design, as covered in [accessible bathroom design in SDA](/blog/accessible-bathroom-design-in-sda).

**Switch plates against the wall,** which is part of [switches, outlets and reach ranges](/blog/switches-outlets-and-reach-ranges).

Contrast is a finishes selection rather than an addition, and it is made at the point described in [internal linings and finishes selection](/blog/internal-linings-and-finishes-selection). Chosen for appearance alone, a palette can be entirely unreadable.

The signs that are actually required

A smaller set than people expect, and each has specifications attached.

**Sanitary facilities,** identified with the accessible symbol where they are accessible facilities, with the sign at a defined height on the wall beside the door rather than on the door itself, so it can be read when the door is open.

**Exits and exit routes,** which are part of the egress provisions in [emergency egress in supported accommodation](/blog/emergency-egress-in-supported-accommodation).

**Entries,** where an accessible entry is not the main entry, directing to it.

**Tactile and braille,** where required, with the braille positioned consistently so somebody who reads it knows where to find it.

Each of those has requirements on character height, contrast between the character and the background, non-reflective finish and mounting height. A sign that satisfies none of them is decoration.

What makes a sign readable

**Large characters,** sized for the viewing distance rather than for the plaque.

**High contrast,** light on dark or dark on light, with a measurable difference.

**A matte finish,** because a glossy sign under a downlight is unreadable from the one position somebody will stand in.

**Plain language and a symbol,** because a symbol is read by somebody who cannot read the words, and words are read by somebody who does not recognise the symbol.

**Consistent position,** always the same side, always the same height. A resident learns where to look, and a sign in a different place each time defeats that.

Light at the decision points

A sign in a dark corridor is not a sign.

Which means the lighting plan and the wayfinding plan are drawn together: light at every junction, at every door, at every level change and at the entry. Even light rather than pools, for the reasons set out in [lighting design in an accessible dwelling](/blog/lighting-design-in-an-accessible-dwelling).

Resident specific wayfinding

In a dwelling for a resident with a cognitive condition, personalised cues work better than generic signs.

A photograph on a bedroom door rather than a name. A distinctive colour at a door that matters. An object or an image that means something to the resident at a decision point.

Those are provided with the support model rather than built in, and the building has to allow for them: a fixing surface at the right place, a door finish that will take an applied cue, and a layout that does not depend on them. That flexibility is part of [designing for changing resident needs](/blog/designing-for-changing-resident-needs).

Our standards. Discuss a project.

MADEmodular / MADEbetter.