VA Medical Center Introduces Digital Wayfinding System

WILMINGTON, Del. — A talking avatar named Val, an acronym for Veteran Affairs locator, now greets veterans and their family members at the Wilmington VA Medical Center via a LogicJunction digital wayfinding system that was launched in mid-December.

“The point of Val is to provide a personal touch to the interactive touchscreen system,” said Mike Drozda, chief operating officer for LogicJunction, in a statement.

The video image of Val, a female actress from Cleveland, appears on 10 42-inch touch-screen kiosks and two 24-inch ones located throughout the center. She greets visitors and invites them to ask for help, offering directions in both English and Spanish. The system provides step-by-step directions, which are visible on the kiosks and can be printed as maps or sent via email to smart phones.

“Being lost at the hospital can make a stressful experience even worse. It just adds to the anxiety and fear. This system is very interactive, very easy to use and it helps you get where you need to be and really reduces that level of stress,” said Charles Quesenberry, public affairs officer for the medical center, in a statement.

A more extensive version of the hospital wayfinding system is scheduled to launch in the near future. In addition to the current direction-giving self-service kiosks, the second phase of the technology will include the ability for hospital staff to access wayfinding information throughout the hospital via computers or tablets, allowing for the starting location to be different than where the kiosks are stationed.

This will also let visitors pre-plan their visits from home, incorporating driving and parking instructions into the step-by-step directions available to them. Another addition will be the use of QR codes placed throughout the hospital. When scanned with a smart phone, these codes will help determine the person’s location and give them directions to their preferred endpoint.

Cleveland-based LogicJunction launched the latest version of its software in July 2012. The wayfinders use a dynamic mapping technology that can be relocated if necessary, which is helpful for those hospitals and health care campuses that are always evolving. Even during construction, the technology can be updated to map out alternative pathways during building projects.