Are you ordering wayfinding signs for aging individuals? Here some guidelines you can’t afford to miss.
When designing wayfinding signs, keep in mind that these signs should help the elderly as well as those with disabilities. Extreme conditions like dementia affect a person’s ability to understand and interpret the simplest of things. You should remember that there will be times when people suffering from such conditions will visit your place. The following guidelines will help you come up with directional and wayfinding signs for aging individuals.
Guideline # 1
First of all, you should focus on and emphasize whatever is important. You should go for bright colors, high color contrast, and large and readable text. Such an approach is perfect for people suffering from diseases like dementia, as we have already discussed.
Guideline # 2
Make sure to remove everything that isn’t important. Signage that doesn’t have anything to do with wayfinding should be placed at a distance. Such signs include promotional signs and signs that are specifically designed for the staff. If you add too many vibrant colors to your wayfinding signs, it can create unnecessary distraction for aging individuals. Thus, go for similar-looking colors.
Guideline # 3
You should know that to see properly, older people need three times the amount of light that younger people need. Plus, they are far more sensitive to glare. Some elderly also have poor contrast perception. Therefore, they have a hard time seeing the edges of different objects, especially if the background and the foreground have the same color tones. This is especially important when you are trying to assert functional independence. Make sure there is sufficient light for senior individuals to see the signs.
Guideline # 4
Keep the signs as simple as possible and free from all sorts of clutter. The signs should be easy to identify. If there are too many words or pictures in a single sign, chances are that a person with impaired vision and limited understanding will never understand the sign. As a result, the whole purpose of directional signs will be defeated.
Guideline # 5
For people on wheelchairs, the signs must be placed at eye-level. For the elderly, mobility is a problem, which should be considered. With signs too high, the visitor will get frustrated and agitated.
Guideline # 6
Use tactile signs wherever they are necessary. One of the examples of tactile signs is braille, which is a set of raised letters that help visually impaired people read and decipher a message. With tactile characters on doors and directories, you can help the users go wherever they need to go.
