Insights

Sensory journeys.

Where and how healthcare is delivered is changing rapidly. Technology is allowing far more home-diagnosis and different types of buildings that challenge the norms of the typical GP surgery or hospital. So how can we optimise this new ‘healthcare journey’?

There are a range of design techniques that we can consider to make the experience as enjoyable and stress-free as possible – and they all start with thinking about the user journey…

1. Before leaving home

Virtual environments:

Technology can help patients and carers understand what a building will be like, and how to find their way around even before they leave home. Matterport technology now allows us to create a 3D model of a real-world building, which people can experience in virtual reality. For healthcare buildings, this means nervous or less able patients could be reassured by knowing what to expect from a visit ahead of time.

2. In the building

Easy navigation:

Used appropriately, technology can help manage a building: supporting patient and employee journeys to and around the buildings, as well as enabling room bookings and appointment scheduling. Making buildings easy to understand needs a considered layout, intuitive way-finding, clear and useable security, and an understanding of less-able users.

Diverse spaces:

Many new healthcare settings are multi-use spaces with a variety of public and private functions. This means a building needs to serve different purposes for a range of user groups: whether agile working for employees or retail-led areas for visitors. Defining the various journeys to, and around, buildings allows the design of intelligent people-management systems. With everything from wellbeing, productivity, flexibility, and efficient operation a priority, there are a myriad of factors to consider and balance – so the more holistic a design can be, the better.

Sensory experience:

Visiting any healthcare facility can be an anxious, and sometimes confusing, journey for people. This is especially true for patients with compound medical issues and a variety of abilities. It’s important that, as designers, we understand all the ways their senses might interact with a building. These include:

• the impact of light and our biological clocks (daylight and artificial light)
• the sense of space and outdoor connection (layout considerations)
• the need for wayfinding support (soundscapes, echolocation, and acoustic cues)
• the effect of atmosphere (controlled background noise and reverberation)
• the emotion of odours (removing unpleasant or medical smells)