Wayfinding with Disability Alliance BC: Re-imagining the New DABC Space

Wayfinding with Disability Alliance BC (DABC): Re-imagining the new DABC space

Designed by Jone Ko

contents

The Wayfinding with Disability Alliance BC Project

intro

is an opportunity to work with staff and clients of Disability Alliance BC (DABC) to improve the lives of the disability community by promoting greater accessibility and inclusivity through design.

By participating in creative activities with the DABC community, we are able to gain a better understanding of the richness and diversity of their experience and disability-led ways of knowing.

Then, we can respond and recommend a design outcome that can shift the disability narrative.

Getting ready to move into a new space, this project highlights key insights from three sessions held at their existing DABC space (456 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC), and recommends design implementations that would allow for a more accessible and inclusive DABC space.

the team As one of the many researchers in the Wayfinding with Disability Alliance BC Project, this is a documentation of my analysis, interpretation and recommendations for the new DABC space. Nevertheless, much of the introductory and co-creation process was a combined effort in with my partner in crime, Kevin Hackett. Together in a small collaborative DABC team of three, Kevin and I worked with Lillian, a staff worker at DABC, and also had Me (left) and my partner in crime, Kevin Hackett (right).

an honourary second participant that we briefly worked with during our second Insight Generation session. Having such a small team, the insight we’ve gathered over the course of our three sessions we’re also much richer and insightful than we expected.

–Jone Ko

Through conversations and participatory

co-creation activities

activities with people that directly interact within the respective space that we are designing for, we can gain insight into what works, what doesn’t work, what they like, and what they dislike. Furthermore, these sessions can uncover to us how they feel about the existing space, why they feel a certain why, and what their hopes/dreams are for the new space.

Across three, 30-45 minute long sessions, we held activities that targeted simple experience-based questions that warmed up to broader topics, to gain a better understanding of the participant themselves. We targeted the activities with goals to discover their opinions and experiences on existing forms of wayfinding, what they value in the current space and how we may better deliver the two going into their new space.

February 10, 2020 - Storytelling Session February 24, 2020 - Insight Generation 1 March 9, 2020 - Insight Generation 2

s.1 storytelling The first session was all about building a

» Rolling a 1: Object Association – pick an

rapport with our participants from DABC, and

object and tell us about what this object

getting to know one another. Here, we met

reminds you of. Tell us a story. What does

our single participant and third member to

that experience say about your personality?

our collaborative DABC team, Lillian, and in prioritizing dialogic engagement and sharing each others stories over 30 minutes, we put together a quick and easy game we called Dice Jeopardy.

For this activity, we prepared a list of 6

» Rolling a 2: Never Have You Ever – what is something you’ve done that you think no one else here has done? What made you decide to do that? What similar experiences have the others had?

icebreaker prompts (listed below), and during

» Rolling a 3: Perfect Pizza – what is your

each team member’s turn, they would roll the

favourite pizza topping, and why? How

blue dice. They would then follow and respond

about your least favourite topping? Thoughts

to the prompt that correlated to the number

on Hawaiian pizza? Is there a topping or dip

rolled on the die, before having everyone

that weirds you out?

else share their response as well. Meeting our participant(s) for the first time, it was important to be flexible in their comfort levels throughout the activity, so by keeping our questions at the surface level, we could prompt discussions about underlying meanings in the ‘simple’ answers that we were to expect. We

» Rolling a 4: Last Meal – if you were to have the perfect meal, what would be in it? Have you had this meal before, or is it more of a dream? Why do you like it? How about other foods in type of cuisine? » Rolling a 5: Spirit Animal – what animal

facilitated the conversations by asking follow

do you identify with, and why? How about

up questions, like the ones mentioned after

characters from your favourite reality shows,

each prompt (in Italics). In that way, the goal in

movies, or cartoons? What about that animal

our discussions were to answer the question:

from this movie?

what makes that about you, you?

» Rolling a 6: Superpower – if you could

was involved in a serious car accident with an

have one superpower for only one hour,

18 wheeler. She went through a 16 day coma

what would it be, and why? What similar

that was followed by damage to the brain,

superheros have those powers? Do you think

peripheral vision loss, depth perception loss,

that super power tells you something about

poor night vision, and more. This challenged

what you’re afraid or not afraid of?

my perception on what I would’ve liked to

One distinct moment when we knew there was a connection came from our Never Have You Ever activity, when we began talking about spending summers away from home to guide/coach children, a similar yet different experience that we all happened to have.

Lillian found the object association activity most interesting, so that is where we shifted our activity towards, and in doing so, it was where we learned the most about her current day-to-day life. That’s exactly what we delved into for the last third of our session, and where the most interesting moments of exchange came about, particularly when Lillian picked out a mini screwdriver meant for glasses out one of the boxes. This was when she began talking about her experience that led to her disability. We learned that she grew up and developed a lazy eye that got worse and better overtime, but all came back to stay when she

assume regarding an improved peripheral vision due to the constant irritation coming out of seeing things along the sides of her head more than the average person. Lillian mentioned that it actually does the opposite as she’s only disturbed by a busy environment in her peripheral. This has also affected her ability to walk around depending on the environment and weather. For example, she’d need a cane or grip to nearby objects to maintain balance particularly in the fall and spring, but would need a wheelchair when it comes to weather like snow.

While this was only an introductory session, it was surprisingly insightful, as she hinted at the importance of wayfinding signs being clear and visible, while still being unobtrusive to the eye.

s.2 insight generation 1 For our second visit, we aimed to design creative activities that could better our understanding of our participant’s experience around space, navigation, and wayfinding. I facilitated these second set of activities myself with a new, temporary participant that will remain unnamed. Participating alongside our honourary second participant of that session, I ran two activities.

In the first activity that we called Rank Its Accessibility, I prepared 4 images of regulatory signs, 4 images of orientational signs, and some labeling materials. With each group of 4 images, we looked at them and considered what we instinctively liked or disliked about the signs before asking them to then, order each group of 4 from most to least accessible/ inclusive. We followed it by discussing and labeling each of the signs, prompting one another to think of what might makes one sign better than the other, our personal interactions with similar signs, and what might make each one easier or quicker to understand.

Our participant was very informative, often taking me by surprise by her experience with these signs in the real world as well as how she ranked them. The universal, seemingly

more bare signs seemed to be ranked higher,

of the current DABC space was prepared for

as they often included universally understood

this next activity. For this activity, we virtually

language (ex. the red prohibition icon sitting

navigated ourselves around the DABC area

over a black silhouette of a burger and drink

through the video, constantly pausing it to

icon to indicate no food and beverage). There

label different spaces with areas they that have

was also an emphasis many small design

significant signage or stuck out to us. With

decisions. Some examples include what the

each area, when there was an opportunity, the

implementation of a simple elevation in height

participant was asked to label and/or draw a

can indicate to instinctively aid someones

sign to help identify/frame that area.

depth perception, both the visibility and

While short, this activity provided the

reachability in regulatory signs (and/or its

opportunity to talk about their existing space

intended instructions), and the careful use

directly, and connect outside-world ways of

of the universal caution colour – yellow. On

wayfinding to their facility. This ranged from

the flip end, while our participant pointed

check-in/out systems that they liked, to signs

out the usefulness of integrating visual and

that serve to add more confusion to visitors

tactile elements, there comes to a point where

than it does benefit the staff. Some of the areas

some wayfinding signs are overbearing in the

that the participant had were also introduced

amount of information provided, and when it

here, particularly around their history wall,

reaches that point, it’s often useful to spread

and that was insight that would be interesting

out the information, enlarge the information,

to dig a little deeper in. We talked about

heighten the use of more senses, and/or make

the visibility of it, the usual traffic that often

it interactive.

crammed that space, and why this, out of all

Left with less than 10 minutes, the first activity was directly followed up by the second activity, called Adventuring DABC. In addition to the materials used in the last activity (as well as additional images of signs), a tour video

things, seemed so important for both DABC’s staff and visitors.

Photo stills from the virtual tour video in the Adventuring DABC activity.

s.3 insight generation 2 For second insight generation session, we had

emotions would relate to the corresponding

the goal to gather insight about our team’s

times of the day. In preparation for note-taking

hopes, dreams, needs and wants for the new

in this activity, we wanted to make it visible for

office space. To reach levels of tacit and latent

her so we could point out areas of significance

knowledge for designing their new space, it

together. To do so, we put together stacks

was important for our activity to avoid being

of blue, yellow, and pink paper squares, that

too direct, and to prompt responses that reveal

would represent and highlight discussions

underlying emotions and values they have

around visual, tactile, and audio elements,

about for a dream space.

respectively. We also had mint-coloured sticky

With that goal in mind, we prepared a

notes to label other thoughts, feelings, and

mapping exercise that coincided with object

emotions. All of these paper squares would

associations that Lillian seemed to like, in

be used throughout our activity, to be laid on

an activity that we called How Does It Feel.

a large piece of paper with a single horizontal

The objective of this activity was to walk

line across it, representing the start to end of

through the stages of our participant’s day,

the day for her. We facilitated the conversations

from the time they enter DABC to the time

with some potential parts of her day (listed

they leave, and gather insight on the different

below), and prompted one another to

factors that affect the way they get around,

consider whether those parts of the day were

and in comparison to the way they’d like to

more related to the importance of comfort,

get around. We prepared a box of roughly

productivity, accessibility or wayfinding.

twenty objects, and for each part of their day, we asked our participant, Lillian to pick an object or two that would help describe what’s important to her as she navigated the space.

The objects existed to act as a conversation starter, based off of what emotions Lillian assocaited with the objects, and how those

» Walking into DABC & the reception » Signing in & going to your space » Looking for other staff in other spaces or having other staff look for you » Meeting with a DABC staff as a client

» Finding paperwork » Using the printer » Finding the washroom » Going for lunch or going for a break Through discussions during our session,

both for the clients and the staff. The space needed to have a balance of functionality and friendliness; a balance between comfort and efficiency. Lillian spoke about the effectiveness of their circular layout in their current space.

Having three major departments, there are also staff that work in more than one, so the layout

Lillian was very receptive, constantly

of the desks allowed people to get around

emphasizing the value of clients to come into

quite easily. Similar to the reception space,

the space with a sense of warmth and care,

emphasis was placed on the ability to maintain

yet purpose. Having a clear sense of knowing

communication and connection between staff,

where to go and how to get there has always

as they are the ones that can be flexible for

been important. This means having large and

each other.

clear signs that aid the visitor, without taking

Lastly, being able to maintain wellbeing in

away from the value of a receptionist, because

each individual’s space (or to the clients, the

the receptionist remains at the forefront of

space they are for the period of time) was most

the entrance. The environment around the

important. It was about the “privacy of the

entrance is what complements the value of

individual,” being comfortable and refreshed

the receptionist, who’s job also subconsciously

where they needed to work, and being able to

provides its visitors and clients “a sense

have mental and physical breaks, away from or

of hope.” Lillian noted the importance of

around other people.

regulatory signs as well. They offer necessary

There is an organized chart of the noted

information that work well already, so

insights under the respective object(s) they

maintaining a sense of consistency and little

represented that can be found on page 18.

need for colour seemed the most practical.

Across many other parts of the activity, she repeated the value she had for mental health,

After collecting insight and suggestions from

recommendations

our participants, it was time to formulate what their dreams meant, and how it can be captured in the new DABC space. While the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic limited the opportunity to seek further insight and guidance from our collaborative DABC team, we had identified five key themes between all the researchers, that we can then use to individually determine appropriate recommendations to implement in their new space: Atmosphere, Community, Integrating Multi-Sensory Experiences, Navigation & Signs and Space.

atmosphere From the moment you walk in, you should feel welcomed with a sense of friendliness and connection.

Participants highlighted the value of the person at the forefront of DABC. People oftentimes come to DABC looking for some sort of help, so it is important for them instantly recognize Open, accessible desk-space (Google Japan, Japan)

that the staff at the reception desk are there to answer questions and minimize confusion.

This means there should be a single, accessible reception desk, even if there are two receptionists who specialize in different services (the receptionists can redirect the visitors needs to the appropriate reception staff if need be). The organization of the entrance should allow the reception desk to be the first thing they see, while stacks of paper, signs, and waiting area as a whole should be placed in their secondary line-of-sight. The

Reception at the forefront of the entrance (Larian Studio’s IT Office, Belgium)

desk should also have a comfortable amount of open desk-space, while allowing for some privacy behind the desk.

People should be able to identify the type of information they are looking for quickly and with ease.

At DABC’s existing location, there are many posters and signs that are spread out across the site, and it can often cause visitors to spend additional time navigating through all the clutter to determine what is a navigational sign, identification sign or poster.

The amount and type of information displayed around the office should be simplified and grouped together, if they can not be reduced.

Separating identification signs (middle) from other words (left) (Vancouver Community Library, USA)

Advertisements should be placed in a designated area away from other important forms and resources. All important Public Service Announcements (PSA) should have a consistent treatment so visitors recognize what other PSA’s will look like at a glance, and should be placed at an appropriate eye-level for sitting and standing visitors.

Announcement sign treatments (Burnaby General Hospital)

community As a traffic-heavy office space, it is important to have a space that is as flexible as its staff so that interaction and isolation can take place where ideal.

On most days, the staff at DABC require uninterrupted spaces when working with clients, but at other times, staff need to or can benefit from talking to each other. To accommodate for both situations in a tight workspace, the furniture should be able to situationally shift depending on its purpose.

Shared desk-space with privacy dividers (Artwill Interbuild Pvt. Ltd., India)

While desks and cabinets may benefit from traveling on wheels, adaptable furniture that is lighter in weight and smaller in capacity is more flexible. Adding retractable table dividers effectively divide up the space to create isolated spaces, and versatile enough to be taken down or propped part way when it isn’t.

This way, larger tables can be introduced as a way to encourage interaction with less of the need to migrate to other areas of the office.

Tall retractable table divider (via Walmart)

The current history wall adds value to the space, but isn’t as well-oriented as it can be.

There is a wall of accomplishments along a large walkway at the existing DABC, but the participants mention that displaying them by category may not be as appealing as timeline approach. With a timeline layout, the wall present the opportunity to include plans in Coffee shop owner history assembled with picture frames (New Holland Coffee Co., USA)

the present and future as well, promoting a sense of liveliness in an updated, progressing organization. While the wall is encouraging to staff and insightful to visitors, it’s ‘collage’ style layout may add clutter to the forms and resources that sit directly below it.

Visitors should see this history timeline to be a stand-alone feature piece that is visible from the waiting area. While a constantly updating the wall may be time consuming, it can be simplified with the use of short ledges, where events can be propped up or framed between

Homemade letter board ledge (via Bright Green Door)

adjustable numbers that spell out the year, similar to the use of a letter board.

multi-sensory experiences Common plants are the only addition to a space that is non-subjectively refreshing to look at, touch and smell.

While the addition of particular decorations, scented diffusers, and fidget spinners may be subjective to each person’s taste, plants are live organisms that make a space feel Plants used to separate the walkway from the work tables (Coty Mexico Office, Mexico)

more welcoming while also releasing fresh air. Moreover, while there are already plants at the existing DABC, there were discussions regarding the accommodation of them after they move into a smaller space.

Since plant’s accommodate a lot of space on their own, giving them a secondary functionality may justify the space they take up. Plant dividers, green walls or simply pots placed along shelves can alternatively replace dividers. Grouping plant pots in small openareas or elevating them with wall planters can also help people create visual landmarks while

Wide living green wall (Ministry of Environment, Finland)

navigating a space.

The interaction is a must in the space, but giving individual work its undivided attention is just as important.

The music and sounds in any space will be just as subjective as the other senses when it comes to productivity, so in an open-space where interaction is inevitable, it’s best to do Sound dampening divider curtains (Grape Hub Education Center, Ukraine)

what is possible to reduce the travel of voices.

Beyond adding carpet floor, sound dampening panels and other soft objects absorb and reduce the travel and echo of sounds. It will allow a space to feel much more calm and introduce more tactile, soft stress relievers. It’s as a way to encourage staff to bring personal objects to find a level of comfort at work.

Acoustic sound panels (Abstracta AB, Sweden)

navigation & signs Wayfinding signs should be clear and accessible on your way to and from DABC, without becoming obtrusive.

As previously mentioned, the receptionists play a significant role in guiding its visitors, but in areas such as the elevator and hallways, it is important that anyone can navigate the area without the need for help. Giving visitors a difficult time navigating to DABC before they receive help that they presumably need could create added stress.

This means that entry ways should provide Floor information on the elevator doors (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, USA)

easy identification and clear directions, and where there is more than one entry way, each diverging path should reinforce the direction they are heading is correct. It’s important to recognize each step, from the moment you reach the building, to the moment you step out of the elevator. This also applies when you leave the office – you might want to take a different exit, or you simply don’t remember what floor ground level was on.

London Underground inspired navigation lines to find classrooms (Underhub Language School, Ukraine)

Each type of sign should look clearly like it serves a different purpose, while they all still complement one another.

Among the few wayfinding signs at DABC currently, many signs are inconveniently small, placed at inconsistent heights, and are formatted differently. It’s important to avoid the need for visitors to take effort to identify what type of signs they are looking at past the first.

Different wayfinding signs and orientations for different purposes (Whistler Parks and Valley Trails)

Each type of sign should be appropriately sized and be placed in different areas. For example, navigation signs could be posted high along the walls where it can be read from afar with a combination of text and arrows; identification signs could be printed in large words, posted along the side of a table; and regulatory signs could be simple icons that sit below navigation signs to serve as reminders for people while they navigate the space. Simplifying signage and making each type of signage unique will allow for both visitors and staff create a mental map of the space with ease so they know

Identification signs (along hallway) that complement directional signs (above door) (Burnaby General Hospital)

where to look or go.

space Self-nourishment and lunch breaks should be encouraged, even during a busy schedule.

Lunch breaks at DABC can often be short and inconsistent because of their busy schedules, but they don’t deny the importance of it, and although it isn’t always ideal to enforce scheduled lunch breaks on staff, it’s important to encourage breaks, even short Open table with comfortable travel space (Gigamon, UK)

ones, to nourish themselves when they can.

To encourage this, there should be deliberate considerations put into their lunch space that is easily accessible for all staff.

The lunch space should be in a conveniently accessed space by open windows, while still being isolated from the workspace, and should have adequate space to comfortably accommodate staff members. The lunch space should use furniture that is different from ones in the workspace, and tables should be large

Communal snackbar and coffee/tea station (Concentra Analytics, UK)

so people can sit and converse outside of a work context. Where possible, convenient snack bars and ready-to-go foods or drinks should be considered as well.

Having a dedicated outdoor space can be freeing from all the clutter and traffic.

Wellness in the workspace is important, and is often emphasized in larger corporations, so there should be no reason for staff (and client) wellness to be any less considered at DABC. While a lunch space provides the opportunity to connect with your community Zen office seating area (Elysium Health, USA)

and re-nourish yourself, there are always times where crowded and traffic heavy spaces are physically and mentally draining.

A wellness space should be placed close-by a low-traffic zone with the largest source of outdoor light. The space should involve plants, cushioned seating and a space for staff to take refreshing and meditative breaks. In workspaces where there is no accessible patio or balcony, the space should bring elements of the outdoor indoor, while maintaining a familiar

Outdoor and indoor hybrid living room surrounded by plants (via Nonagon Style)

comfort from an indoor space.

this project is dedicated to