A cooperation with the Salzburger Landeskliniken (SALK)
The Salzburg state hospitals (SALK) are the largest health service provider in Salzburg, consisting of the Paracelsus Private University Medical Center in the central region (Landeskrankenhaus Salzburg and Christian-Doppler-Klinik), the associated state clinics St. Veit, Hallein and Tamsweg, the university institute for preventive care and rehabilitative sports medicine, and the reKiZ children’s neuro-rehab Center.
Objective
The aim of the project was to test the efficiency of the new guidance system which was installed as part of a restructuring throughout the university hospital. The key here was determining whether the new signage showing people where things were in the buildings was perceptible and understandable. Following an evaluation of the project results, suggestions for improvement were made to achieve an ideal use of the new guidance system, and improve upon any existing deficits.
Method
The tasks for the subjects were determined by the project team in cooperation with the SALK. The subjects were required to find a given destination (a specific hospital department) with the help of the signage. The specific goal was unknown to the subjects, and the task included identifying potential problems occurring during the search. The focus of the analysis was on the arrangement and design of the signage. Mobile eye-tracking glasses were used to measure the unconscious vision of the subjects, making it possible for the project team to see the pathways taken in the SALK from the perspectives of the test persons. These results were analyzed afterwards.Among the participating test persons, it was ensured that they were selected from the target groups of the different routes tested.The participants were also surveyed to examine their conscious perception. This allowed them to comment on the difficulties, misunderstandings, comprehensibility and conspicuousness of the individual signs.
Results
The results of the project were recorded and individually evaluated for all entrances and site plans. A total of six different routes were available, which were divided into different areas of interest which were analyzed in greater detail using the acquired eye-tracking data. Click here to find out more.The total number of fixations, the total time of the fixation period, and the total time of admission were measured for the evaluation of the eye-tracking data. The visualization was done using a heat map. Below is an example. The red areas show spots that were intensely looked at.
The additional evaluation of the questionnaire which was immediately filled in after taking back the eye-tracking glasses from the subjects helped identify problem areas and gather useful action recommendations.
Project manager: Katrin Lehenauer
Project team members: Dominik Haider, Johanna Trampitsch, Vitas Veigel
Project client: Dipl. – Ing. Dieter Grubner
Project coaches: Arno Kinzinger & Mario Jooss
Project duration: October 2017 – March 2018