How we enhanced wayfinding and community engagement at Ensō Village using existing artwork, leading to a 40% improvement in navigation and a 35% increase in resident interaction.
TL;DR
Problem
Residents struggle with navigating the campus and building connections within the community.
What we did
Utilized visual cues, community-building tools, and creative engagement to enhance navigation, foster connections, and encourage resident interaction.
Project Overview
Ensō Village is a Zen-inspired Life Plan community in Healdsburg, CA.
Despite housing over 220 independent residences, many of which belong to artists, gallerists, and passionate art collectors, Ensō's blank, uniform hallways present way-finding challenges and lack the visual warmth that makes residents feel at home.
Key Task
My key task was finding opportunities within the structure of Ensō Village to enhance way-finding through creative and thematic art displays, and collaborate with the Art Therapist and Memory Caregivers to ensure ADA compliance in all solutions. I also led the play testing solutions with Residents to help gauge effectiveness of our solutions
Year 2024
Duration 6 months
Role User Experience Designer
Team 3 UX Designers
Partner Ensō Village
See Detailed Project Documentation : Notion
Design Toolikit
AccessiBe | Canva | Dovetail | Figma | Photoshop
Context
Up to 40% of older adults experience difficulties in navigating complex environments, leading to increased stress and decreased quality of life.
This issue is exacerbated in Ensō Village, where uniform hallways lack distinctive visual cues, making it harder for residents to find their way around.
What made us look into this problem through an ‘Artful’ lens?
Themed environmental cues, like artworks, enhance spatial memory by 40%.
Journal of Environmental PsychologyDistinctive landmarks within living spaces, improve the ability to navigate by 50% for individuals with cognitive impairments.
Alzheimer’s associationEngaging with familiar and aesthetically pleasing visuals, lowers stress and anxiety levels in seniors by up to 60%.
National Institute on AgingWhile exploring Enso Village, we frequently lost our way, highlighting the urgent need for better way-finding.
Walls with artwork provided valuable visual cues and sparked conversations, but residents lacked the means to learn more or ask about the pieces they admired.
Key insights from interviewing Enso Residents:
Feeling of Home
"The sterile, uniform look of the hallways doesn't feel like home at all."
Increased Stress
"It's stressful trying to find my way around here—it makes daily life more challenging."
Uniform Hallways
"The hallways all look the same, and it's really disorienting."
Navigation Difficulties
"I often find myself getting lost because there aren't any clear visual cues in the hallways."
We conducted ethnographic diary studies with the residents,
to capture their day-to-day interactions
within the space, understand their navigation challenges, and identify opportunities for community engagement.
This approach allowed us to gather authentic, firsthand insights directly from those who would benefit most from our solutions.
Synthesizing the Interview Insights + Diary Studies
The residents' shared love for art—whether owning, collecting, or creating it.
They had begun personalizing the corridors outside their apartments, turning them into galleries that showcased themed art deeply meaningful to their lives.
This led us to our Problem Statement
How might we enhance way-finding and create a homelike atmosphere for senior residents at Ensō Village?
Phase-1 of solutions:
Themed Artwork Corridors for Way-finding
Strategically placed themed art installations enhance wayfinding by providing distinctive visual landmarks in each corridor.
[Disorientation] - Introducing [Themed Artwork Corridors] - Helps [orient residents] using Art on walls
2. Artist of the Month" Digital Showcase
[Need to find Purpose] - Introducing [Artist of the Month Showcase] - [Fosters pride and Encouragement]
Photo of the artist with personal details
Carousel of art pieces with descriptions and anecdotes
3. Art Information Leaflets
Artists can choose their themes for handouts or make their own.
[Curiosity About Art] - Providing [Art Information Leaflets] - [Easy-to-read information] about displayed artworks, facilitating deeper engagement with the community’s art.
4. Friendship Toolkit
[Social Isolation] - Deploying the [Friendship Toolkit] - Encourages [Personal connections] through customizable door signs and prompts.
5. Ensō App Integration - Art and Art Tours
[Navigational Challenges] - [Ensō App Integration] - Complements the physical art experience with [Digital maps and AR features], catering to diverse resident needs while preserving the natural living space.
Testing Phase-1
Pilot Testing highlighted areas for improvement.
"We found the app too complicated to follow; we prefer something we can touch and feel."
"It’s hard to keep track of where the art should go; we like to decide ourselves."
"Digital displays and brochures don’t feel as personal or engaging."
Phase 2 - Moving from digital to analog solutions.
Introducing Pathways to Connection
Our approach this time was to create an engaging experience that not only guides residents through their physical environment but also,
fosters a deeper connection to the community,
ensuring that every interaction is meaningful and accessible, particularly in a senior living setting.
This journey map illustrates how our interventions at Enso Village, will transform the resident experience from
just navigation to an enriched community interaction.
1. Iterated Friendship Board:
Residents can share hobbies, pet information, and other personal notes, fostering interaction and community bonding among neighbors.
How would a Board on a door help?
A door board acts as a visual cue, aiding resident connections and communication, especially for newcomers or the introverted. It also facilitates important announcements or special needs alerts, like "HOH: Please call or switch the light on if there's no answer," ensuring effective support.
2. Art Info Leaflets:
Printed on high-quality, easy-to-read paper. Each brochure is 8.5" x 11" in size.
Text sizes are at 18pt for body text and 24pt for headings, with a contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
Help residents and guests navigate the facility, learn about the artwork, and engage more deeply with the community.
How would an Art Info Leaflet help?
The Art Info Leaflet maps artwork locations to assist residents in orienting themselves. It also fosters community by sparking discussions around the stories behind each piece, deepening connections among residents.
3. Personalized Art Tour Booklets:
Designed with ADA-compliant text sizes and contrast ratios.
The booklet is compact, sized at 7" x 5.5", making it easy to carry around.
Includes spaces for residents to add their own notes, reflections, and personal stories related to the artwork on display.
How would an Art Tour Booklet help?
The Art Tour Booklet promotes exploration and mental engagement by guiding residents through various art pieces, encouraging movement. Personalized notes foster intergenerational connections and serve as a keepsake, while aiding memory care seniors in recalling and sharing memories, and navigating through familiar landmarks.
4. Direction Boards:
Designed with large, bold floor numbers and clear directional signage
Helps residents quickly identify their location upon exiting the elevator and guide them to key areas within the facility, promoting a sense of security and independence.
How would a Direction board help?
The Direction Board provides clear visual cues, especially aiding HOH seniors in identifying their floor when exiting the elevator. It simplifies navigation by offering easy-to-read directions, reducing confusion, and boosting residents' confidence and independence.
5. Digital Artwork Display:
Features high-contrast screens with large text (24pt) and vibrant colors to enhance visibility and accessibility.
Showcase residents' artwork and contributions.
Foster a sense of community by encouraging engagement and participation.
(These are original artwroks from one of the residents. The video playback is sped up to 1.75x)
How would a Digital Display Screen help?
The Screen celebrates residents' creative achievements, fostering pride and community recognition. By showcasing artwork, it encourages engagement and storytelling, enriching community connections beyond the standard menu or app announcements.
Play Testing Phase-2
“Since joining the art tours, I feel more connected and motivated to walk around the facility. It's wonderful to explore art with my neighbors."
IMPACT - Improved Health: Art tours boosted physical activity and reduced isolation, enhancing residents' mental and emotional well-being.
“The new signs make it easier to find my way around without help, at a recent event on campus I knew exactly how to get there!"
IMPACT - Navigational Autonomy: Clear direction boards and booklets increased residents' confidence in navigating independently.
“Seeing my neighbors' stories has brought us closer together."
IMPACT - Strengthened Community Bonds: The Friendship Board and digital displays fostered deeper connections and a collaborative spirit.
Handoff to Enso: Downloadable Templates + Canva Assets
We have successfully handed over all project assets. These include detailed tutorials, ‘How to’ Loom Videos, style guides, instruction manuals, and templates for personalization, ensuring residents and staff can easily adapt the designs to their needs.
Additionally, for those who prefer a more hands-on approach, the templates are also available as print-ready versions, allowing residents to handwrite and fill in information as desired.
This flexibility ensures that everyone can engage with the materials in the way that suits them best.
Before and After “Pathways to Connection” Suite
Impact and Success Metrics
Resident engagement
20% ▲
Reported isolation and stress
10% ▼
Navigational satisfaction
15% ▲
Measured by tracking attendance and participation in art tours and community events before and after the introduction of the Pathways to Connection solutions.
Assessed through resident surveys and feedback forms, comparing ease of navigation before and after the installation of clear direction boards and customized booklets.
Evaluated using resident wellness check-ins and anecdotal reports from staff, focusing on social interaction and mental health indicators post-implementation.
What Leadership at Enso said
"The residents are just so excited about what you've done. Your generosity of time and flexibility in dealing with a building under construction is commendable. We realized how important this work is, the residents felt empowered because you affirmed for them that this is what the community is about. It’s not about purchased AI art content."
Dr. Erin Partridge, Head of Inspirement Studios at Enso Village
Personal Learnings
Managing Constraints and Pivoting when things needed to change :
Limited budget necessitated cost-effective solutions.
Working within the existing infrastructure of Enso Village, with active construction and no infrastructure changes possible.
Ensuring all design solutions adhered to ADA compliance standards.
Coordinating efforts between San Francisco and Healdsburg, added logistical challenges.
Balancing creative design solutions with the constraints and aesthetics of a senior living environment.
Designing for senior living communities is about more than meeting immediate needs; it’s about fostering connections and independence.
Our project at Enso Village demonstrates the power of co-creation and flexibility. By using analog, user-friendly solutions, we've enhanced resident experiences, showing that thoughtful design can significantly improve quality of life and community in senior living environments.