Citizen centered
work site experience

Developing more citizen centered work site experience for the City of Helsinki

2019 / Client project at Pentagon Design / Client: City of Helsinki

Team: Simon Örnberg, Sauli Flander, Heidi Hyytiäinen, Linda Vanni

My role: Quantitative and qualitative research / Analyzing data & insights / Co-design & facilitation of workshops / Client communication / Content creation for manual and website

Reducing nuisance and improving citizen experience of temporary street work cites by means of design

As part of a broader undertaking initiated by former mayor Jan Vapaavuori in 2019, City of Helsinki wanted to develop the citizen experience of street work sites in Helsinki. In a developing and growing capital city there is a constant number of temporary work sites of various sizes taking place across the city, some of which can take up to several years to finish.

Our team at Pentagon Design was asked to help the city conduct a research and develop a concept to reduce the nuisance caused by work sites. By means of co-design, our team created a concept and manual based on research findings to aid the city and construction companies to design and maintain more citizen-friendly work sites.

Challenge

The current citizen experience of work sites was expected to be low due to inconveniences such as temporary traffic arrangements, noise and other nuisance. The goal was to identify the most impactful ways and design opportunities to improve citizen experience of passing through work sites.

Approach

A citizen questionnaire was conducted, with over 1200 resonses and 2000 development ideas collected. Additionally qualitative research, including observations, interviews, a focus group interview with accessibility specialists and internal workshops were organized, with eight focus areas identified based on results.

Outcomes

As an outcome of the project, a design concept and online manual were created for the city, construction companies and construction site workers to help design and maintain citizen-centered work sites. Additionally, wayfinding concepts were tested and implemented at selected pilot sites.

Key findings

Through the research, communication and wayfinding were identified as the most important areas for development. People expected to get more information about temporary traffic arrangements prior to arriving at the site, and wished for more clear wayfinding signs for different modes of transportation. Accessibility, a safe and comfortable environment as well as citizen participation were also identified as important aspects of the improved experience.

Five key citizen groups with distinct needs were identified to aid the project development: disabled citizens, children and youth, neighborhood residents, passers-by and visitors in the city.

Based on the findings, a wayfing and signage concept was created, along with a manual to aid the development and maintanance of more citizen-friendly work sites.

Deliverables

Design manual

A digital and printed manual for planning, designing and maintaining citizen-centered work sites. The manual is targeted for the city employees and construction companies that manage work sites of different sizes in Helsinki.
Website

Tyomaaopas.fi is an interactive website developed by the city of Helsinki based on the contents of the design manual created by our team.
Wayfinding concept

Based on the research findings, our team created a wayfinding concept to improve the user experience for different citizen groups and modes of transportation.
Wayfinding pilot

New wayfinding signage and information boards were developed by our team to be tested and implemented at selected pilot sites.