About
Enhancing the Waiting Experience
Healthcare environments are spaces where humans go to get better. However, these environments are typically approached with clinical sterility that counter their goal by making people feel alien, stressed and exposed to infection. There’s a big body of research showing how the built world impacts our recovery process.
This project aims to' Enhance the Experience in Healthcare Waiting Areas' across NHS hospitals, where Musgrove Hospital served as a pilot model.
User Centered Design
The design merges several design theories to creatively solve problems faced in healthcare waiting rooms. In order to achieve the goal, the redesign adopted guidelines from a selection of evidence based design theories.
- Affordance Theory: Allowing various activities in the space and things to do, make the experience of waiting enjoyable.
- Prospect and refuge: Allowing for interest and views, while maintaining secure feeling of refuge
- Personal space: Respecting privacy and allowing space around individuals as not to feel invaded
- Sense of Place / Genius Loci: Respecting the character and culture
- Biophilic Design: Humans love for nature and its healing power
- Salutogenic Design: Healthy design in pursuit of preventing of disease
- Age Friendly and Inclusive Design: Designing with the young and senior users in mind, with accessibility features for all abilities
Design for Healthcare
Challenges in designing healthcare facilities:
- Abiding by strict infection control measures
- Abiding by healthcare guidelines and circulation
- Dealing with highly technical specialized facility