Humanization of the Waiting Room
Redesigning the user experience in a Hospital waiting room
PROJECT YEAR
2021
LOCATION
Guadalajara, Mexico
PROJECT TYPE
Human Centered Design & User Experience Design
DESIGN TEAM
Ana Vázquez Pérez
PROJECT DURATION
5 months
CLIENT
Americas Hospital SA de CV
Today, hospitals, healthcare centers and clinics are increasingly focused on providing patient-centered care. When designing a space within a healthcare facility, it is important to consider the impact that design can have on the user experience.
Our goal with this project was to humanize the waiting rooms, that is, to provide that sensitivity, respect and commitment to the people who use them. We must begin to dignify the spaces, seeking to offer a better quality of life, good attention, and service, providing comfort, tranquility and above all, empathy.
To better understand the health care system in Mexico, it is necessary to comprehend that there are different organizations in charge of providing medical care and that, at the same time, there are Official Mexican Standards that specify the requirements needed for a hospital to offer its services. Medicine in Mexico is divided into 3 levels, both por public and private hospitals, and there is a huge gap between the services offered by these types of health facilities, depending on the conditions and ailments of the patients.
Waiting rooms play an important role in the experience of patients and their families, as well as in the efficiency of the organization. The physical spaces of ambulatory care environments can generate a psychological impact on patients and are affected by tangible variables, such as furniture, space or facilities, and intangible variables, such as temperature, noise, aromas, among others.
Context
The reality of the health system in Mexico, at all levels, is that there are no appropriate conditions to meet the needs of the various types of users that coexist in a hospital waiting room. These users can stay in the space for at least 10 minutes or up to more than 7 hours. Today the seats are rigid and uncomfortable, the patient cannot have his own space and feels vulnerable.
Americas Hospital, our case study, is a private hospital that specializes in general and short-stay surgery. It currently has 12 specialties and focuses on providing its services to people who do not have health insurance through affordable costs and quality medical care.
The goal of the project was to provide a better user experience, mainly for patients and special populations, who were the most vulnerable groups. We wanted them to feel welcomed through a furniture proposal that responded to their needs in conjunction with the elements that made up the space, complementing their experience and making it more pleasant.
It is important to understand that although there are many users who make use of the waiting room (patients, medical staff, cleaning staff, companions, providers, etc.) the patient is the main user, it´s because of him that people come to a hospital and the most important factor is not the waiting time, but the conditions in which they arrive.
The problem
Ethnographic
Research
An investigation of scientific articles and similar projects was carried out to get findings regarding hospital waiting rooms in other countries. In addition, two surveys were conducted with more than 70 people from different cities and even countries, in order to evaluate behavioral patterns, the experiences they have had, their concerns, needs, desires, etc.
Furthermore, the direct competitors of Americas Hospital were analyzed, and some interviews were conducted with at least one patient from each specialty, as well as with relatives of some of the patients.
During this stage we worked hand in hand with Cecilia Flores, ergonomics specialist and author of the book: Ergonomics for Design.
1. The waiting room is the first impression point the patient has before entering surgery.
2. When entering the space, they do not know where to go due to lack of signs.
3. Color plays an important role in the recovery and mood of patients.
4. Natural lighting is lacking. The light used is not recommended for a waiting room but for a work area.
5. 80% of people said that one of their needs when waiting was to be able to rest.
Insights
6. Many people want to have privacy when waiting in the room.
7. All the people interviewed expected to have comfort inside the waiting room.
8. 20% of people were uncomfortable sharing the space with other people because of hygiene and privacy issues.
9. The space had only 11 seating spaces and there have been occasions where people sit on the floor.
How can we improve the patients experience in the waiting room making it more pleasant and memorable?
List of demands
1. The furniture had to provide comfort and allow users to rest in a semi-resting position and change position.
2. The furniture had to provide privacy to users and allow them to perform activities such as: reading, eating, working and resting.
3. We had to communicate peace, tranquility and shelter through the furniture and the elements that make up the waiting room space.
4. We had to include elements that improved the user experience through elements that stimulated the 5 senses.
5. The user had to be able to stay for a long period of time, without physical, psychological or physiological discomfort, in addition to those that he already had.
6. We had to consider materials that were easy to clean as it was a high traffic space.
7. We had to propose different furniture alternatives, so that the user could choose according to their needs and the conditions in which they arrived.
Ideation
Prototyping
Based on the design proposals, 1:5 scale volumetric models were made in order to visualize the proportions of the objects, as well as to verify that the measurements were correct.
Final Concept
Our design concept was "apapacho". This mexicanism means "caressing with the soul" and it´s related with a hug. We wanted to represent that a hug serves to empathize, to give shelter, to welcome a person, to provide support, protection and comfort. A hug is a way of showing affection and telling the other person that you care about him.
We designed a family of furniture based on this concept and the needs of the 12 medical specialties. Each of the pieces has a specific function that helps to improve the patients' living conditions.
This family of furniture included: a high bench, a one-seater armchair with folding screen, a love seat with table and folding screen, a sofa ( 3 seats) without folding screen and a footrest that could work as a bench.
Within our composition proposals for the space we recommended :
circulation spaces that considered people with wheelchairs, the use of woods and a warm color palette (such as green, blue or orange) that promoted the well being of the patients and the medical staff, the use of clear signs that helped people to perfectly locate the hospital areas, the smell of lavender or orange that have relaxing effects, elements that refered to nature (such as plants or painitings with landscapes or natural elements) since they favor a speed recovery, and last but not least, classical or background music, which helped reducing stress and anxiety.
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