Artful Wayfinding at
Enso Village
Creating a community and immersive storytelling through art in a senior living center, focused on mindful aging.
Context
Picture this: a place where your golden years glisten with creativity, where retirement doesn't mean an end but a new chapter of innovation and artistry. Enso Village is that vision brought to life—a sanctuary for the creative soul, eager to continue their craft and passion beyond the typical years of work.
But...
Client
Enso Village
Role
Product Designer, Service Design
Skills
Ui design, Ux research
Strategy Design
Systems Thinking
Duration (Academic)
8 months | Jan ‘24 - Aug ‘24
Team
Mentors: Kristian Simsarian, Marc O’Brian
Collaborators: Rhea Pathak, Vidhi Mishra
Enso Village is a new construction, with residents still moving in
Endless, empty hallways
Confusion in wayfinding for the senior residents & guests
The community includes seniors with diverse backgrounds, all sharing passion for art and a common sentiment:
“This doesn’t feel like home yet!”
Prompting us to ask:
How might we improve navigation and home-like comfort for the retirement facility residents?
P H A S E 1
Interview Insights & Themes
Then we talked to some residents and gathered
New friendships being formed at Enso Village by residents
Specific contributions made by residents to the Enso Village community
Types of art or cultural experiences that residents would like to enjoy
Existing hobbies and activities that the residents enjoy at Enso Village
Most of the residents expressed a very keen interest to help out in their community...
“...hope to offer intuitive painting workshops or groups”
“Hoping to create shared experiences involving different generations/age groups…”
“I also want to work in the Inspirement Studios and be helped or helpful. I have true knowledge about…”
“I want to create more opportunities for residents to share information with one another.”
Most of the residents expressed a very keen interest to help out in their community...
Visit to Enso Village
And then we decided to make a
We observed something...
... how the residents had started to personalize their doors for various purposes!
PREPARATION
NAVIGATING
DEPARTURE
ARRIVAL
RETURN
Barbara decides to visit a common area but is concerned about the confusing hallways.
She exits their apartment into a stark, undecorated hallway that lacks distinctive features.
She navigates through multiple identical corridors, struggling to remember turns & landmarks.
Barbara reaches her destination- a nondescript entryway lacking personalization.
She makes her way back to her apartment, facing the same identical & uninviting hallways.
TOUCHPOINTS
Resident’s apartment + information pamphlet with a basic map
Doorway signage, beginning of corridor
Similar looking corridor intersections, occasional basic signages
Common area marked by signage
Reversal of earlier navigation aids, similar hallway intersections
OPPORTUNITIES
Implement night-time friendly guidance with clear, well-lit signage, and introduce rest spots with seating near engaging art installations for breaks during the return journey.
Install mid-corridor art installations and interactive digital displays that provide location information and interactive stories, increasing engagement and emotional comfort.
Use consistent thematic elements to make corridors visually engaging and less intimidating.
Introduce visually distinct, thematic wayfinding signs or art installations at strategic intervals to serve as easy-to-recognize landmarks.
CONFUSED & CONCERNED
UNCERTAIN
FRUSTRATION
RELIEF
TIRED
Resident’s Journey
To understand the problem, we tried to visualize a
We tried to answer the question by diving into some
Desk Research
Forming mental maps of the space
Themed environmental cues, like artworks, can enhance spatial memory by 40%.
Fostering autonomy
Distinctive landmarks within living spaces can improve the ability to navigate by 50% for individuals with cognitive impairments, such as those caused by dementia.
Mitigating disorientation
Engaging with familiar and aesthetically pleasing visuals can lower stress and anxiety levels in seniors by up to 60%.
Solution Ecosystem
Based on the findings & insights, brainstorming & ideation, we mapped out a
Short-Term
Self-Guided Tour
Information brochures
Digital Screen displays
Friendship Toolkit
residents can curate for visitors!
that guests can take to peruse further!
for inspiring creativity in everyone!
to make it easier to make friends!
Long-Term
Make Enso Village feel like home
Mentoring program to teach youngsters
Put Enso Village on the map
Brainstorming Solutions
After understanding the problem, it was time for
Crazy 8s
1. Hanging art in the hallways- system
2. Focusing on the storyline- art information brochures
3. Artwork changes to story- digital version
4. People drawing on the art- event
5. Big art event, artists talking-finding purpose
6. everyone hanging art in hallways- community event
7. decorating doors- personalization
8. Art tours open to the public
Project in progress
Coming Soon: User Testing & Insights
B-HAG: Big Hairy Audacious Goals: Not limiting ourselves to constraints to come up with some unique ideas
"Connecting-the-Dots" from partner brief to insights gathered from interviews to observations we made during our site visit
Enhance community
Residents want to
make friends
Residents personalize
their doors
[
[
]
]
+
+
[
(brief given by partner)
(interview insight)
(Site visit observation)
]
Friendship Toolkit
[
]
(design intervention)
=
P H A S E 1
P H A S E 2
P H A S E 3
iterations
The entire project is divided into the following
Project Timeline
