Hospital lobby of the future

Building a strong patient experience from the start

Background

Americans are increasingly dissatisfied with healthcare systems that are saddled with large, seemingly intractable problems. As a result, medical institutions are taking inspiration from customer service driven industries, centering patient needs from the start to improve satisfaction.

Hospital lobby spaces are the first impression and point of communication between visitors and providers. Patients rely on design cues and human interactions to make lasting judgements on the quality of care they will receive.

Opportunity

NYU Langone Health (NYULH) is New York City’s #1 hospital system, lauded for its high quality of care and medical expertise, and is planning on renovating its Tisch Hospital lobby. We have an opportunity to build a strong patient experience from then start, bringing the exemplary care from patient-provider interactions upstairs, down into the lobby space.

Role

Design Strategist

Timeline

4 months

Stakeholders

Patients, Clinicians, Staff, Chief Leadership, Interior designers + Architects

Research Summary

Patients struggled to find their way, deal with visit logistics, and process difficult medical news. In an increasingly automated health system, they craved a more human experience.

Healthcare providers went outside their job descriptions to assist patients with non-medical issues, like administrative logistics, hospitality services, and wearable tech help.

Lobby staff struggled to efficiently assist patients, dealing with inaccurate info, and lack of access to patient itineraries. Customer service folks had great resources but lacked visibility. They wanted to more proactively help patients.

Illustration of the proposed solution: a visitor help zone providing patients with human connection and concierge-like assistance.

Proposed Solution

The Visitor Help Zone greets patients with a comprehensive concierge service providing way-finding and logistical / administrative assistance, in addition to a tech bar for remote health device setup and guidance on the NYULH app. Staff are empowered to help patients through a centralized info source, providing patients a clear path to a solution. Patients receive the warm welcome and human connection that they expect from NYULH.

This project is a work in progress… stay tuned for more!