Space & user experience design of a
Behavioural health care lounge
Space decided : Lounge style waiting room of a psychologist clinic. Capacity : maximum 6 patients & 1 or 2 receptionists. Context of use : India. Target users : People with mental issues (Ex. ADHD, depression, PTSD etc.).
Existing :
Credit - Google images, Practo
Target user empathy map This is Ram. 55 years old. Has a wife & a daughter studying in the U.S. Suffers from depression. Visits an independent psychiatrist clinic every Monday. Visiting the clinic with his wife. Average wait time - 5 to 15 minutes. Wife has to wait for 20-30 minutes depending on therapy time (she usually leaves for some work & returns). Credit - Google images
Think & feel - Depressed & gloomy. - Feels like the receptionist would forget about him if he sits too far away. - Wants some sort of escape in case of an anger fit. - Isolated room makes him feel like something’s wrong with him. - Feels more natural & comfortable after going outdoors & interacting with nature.
Say & do - Gets up contsnatly from his seat to ask the receptionist how much time it’ll take since the reception isn’t close by. - Dusts off seats himself & ends up getting allergies. - Breaks light shards and hurts himself in case of a fit. - Goes out for a walk in nature to distract himself while waiting instead of sitting in the gloomy indoor atmosphere.
See - Bland walls & gloomy scene. - People sitting quietly & alone. - No attention resource - gives him time to overthink & feel negative. - Unconcealed lamps that hurt his eyes & easy to break in case of a fit. - Dirty seats that haven’t been cleaned well. - His wife getting bored due to lack of attention resources.
Hear - Voices of people in the space (no wallpaper music). - “Sit quietly & don’t express your emotions in public”. - He ends up getting more disturbed due to the space & has a hard time controlling & possibly bigger breakdown with the therapist. - Complaining wife due to negative space after his therapy makes him negative too.
Existing problems
Formal & Uncomfortable No social interaction - patient feels trapped Unsafe space Extreme age groups not targetted Harsh & unnatural lighting Seperate, stigmatised lounges
Final Opportunity Statement “How might we design a behavioural healthcare space for an independent psychiatric clinic housing 6 people & a receptionist focusing on the emotional relevance of elements of the space in order to create a positive & comforting experience to the target users?�
Our space design lexicon Friendly Relatable Seamless Natural
Homely Welcoming Warm Sociable
Moodboard
Credit - Google images
The Biophilia Hypothesis It implies that humans possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life.
Biophilic Design (i) Unburden our cognitive system, supporting it in collecting and recognizing more information in the quickest and most efďŹ cient way; (ii) Foster the optimum of our sensorial system in terms of neuro-motorial inuence, avoiding both the depressive and the exciting effects; (iii) Induce a strengthening in emotive and biological terms at a neural level; (iv) Support, according to the many clinical evidences, the neuro-endocryne and immunological system, especially for those people who are in bad physical condition.
Concept 1
Reception
Entrance
Credit - Google images
Pergola glass & indoor garden (Nadumuttam) creates a not too overwhelming garden atmosphere to make a natural & comfortable environment for patients.
Way to doctor (they HAVE to pass by gardens to reach the doctor) Happiness box
(patients get a sweet at the reception after their session and they can put the wrapper in this transparent bin if they had a happy session. How full it is signiďŹ es how happy the patient feels after the session).
Seating booths (mix of sociopetal & sociofugal) to encourage interaction among patients without forcing it. Credit - Google images
Circular reception enables receptionists to keep an eye on all patients in any corner of the space.
Reception located as the ďŹ rst touchpoint in the space
Credit - Google images
Friendly Indian receptionist - not too formally dressed to create a natural, seamless & reletable feeling.
Woman in CAD model shown for proportion purposes only.
Humans are essential elements of a space & designing their personas is necessary to creating the necessary vibe.
Plan View
Crowd Flow Key Entering user Exiting User
Customer Journey Map Redesigned behavioural care lounge Persona - Ram Touchpoints touchpoints
Entrance, Happiness activity board https://issuu.com/harshali paralikar/docs/solution_cards
Reception, Happiness box, Lemon smell, Soft white noise
Coupon with happiness activity
Indoor garden (Nadumuttam)
Seating booth, Other patients, Neutral Magazines, Playing Cards
Therapist Room
Happiness box, Candy wrapper
Candy, Coupon
Face to face.
Face to face & in the background.
Face to face.
Face to face.
Face to face.
Face to face.
CLIENT INTERACTION
Ram has an appointment. He reaches the centre in his car. His wife hasn’t come with him today.
Ram walks to the reception table & sees happiness box full. Tells appointment details.
Gets coupon with appointment no. & gets guided to a seat. Talks to receptionist. Examines coupon.
While walking to the booth, sees & smells fresh indoor (Nadumuttam) garden.Walks upto it and observes.
Talks to fellow patients.Can rotate chair & look in other direction if anxious. Can play cards / read / stroll in the garden.
Gets a candy & throws wrapper in the happiness box located next to the reception table.
Leaves the space through the entrance and eats the candy after leaving. Practices the daily happiness activity shown on the coupon.
COMPANY INTERACTION
Daily changing happiness activity on the entrance of the centre, changed by company
Receptionists smile, greet & welcome Ram.
1 receptionist gives coupon,other guides Ram to seating booths which have other patients (urge conversations).
Encourages Ram to interact with the garden & waits while he does so.
Gives Ram a sweet & tells him to throw the wrapper in the happiness box if he had a joyful experience at the therapist.
Tells Ram to have a good day and to keep the coupon & practice the activity on it.
https://issuu.com/harshali paralikar/docs/solution_cards
THEY FEEL
SHOULD FEEL
Coupon numbers displayed with visual & auditory feedback on screen - controlled by receptionist.
Monotonous when far from entrance, but pleasantly surprised, excited & intrigued after seeing activity.
Warm & joyful. Curious. Pleasantly surprised.
Confused, but curious. Little socially anxious. Excited.
Fresh, excited. Open, social, having Connected to nature. fun (not bored at all), Grounded. Curious. fresh. Happy.
Excited, surprised
Warm & joyful. Pleasantly surprised.
Excited, looking forward to something new.
Fresh, excited. Open, social, having Connected to nature. fun (not bored at all), Grounded. Curious. fresh. Happy.
Entered therapist room,done with appointment, leaves room & goes to reception to make payment etc.
Face to face.
CHANNELS
Pleasantly surprised, happy, feels special.
Pleasantly surprised, happy, feels special.
Happy (chocolate releases endorphines), remembers the experience even after leaving the space - lasting happy memory, wants to come back. Happy, special, wants to visit again.
Concept 2
Concept 2
Exit to therapist room
Reception centrally located for equal reach from every seating space. First thing the patient sees when he enters the area & when he leaves from the doctor’s room Indoor gardens (inspired by Kerela Nadumuttam) Biophilic design - proven to be calming Entrance
Reception Indoor Gardens with glass ceiling
Credit - Google images
Soft lighting Magazine racks & recreative goods near the gardens to encourage interaction (having only a few racks would draw more patients to 1 rack & lead to social interaction between the patients).
Plan View
Seating
Mechanism reference - The single chairs can have stable bases with rotatable seats. - This gives the patient the freedom to choose (via rotation) which direction they want to face while waiting. - The seats should be stable at the base to prevent patients from moving / misuing it in case of a ďŹ t / emergency.
The furniture should have a look that’s comfortable and inviting but wrapped around a strong frame that is heavy and difficult to move for safety purposes. Avoidance of nooks and crannies (for easy cleaning). The fabrics used on the furniture should be such that it’s easy to clean. For example, wood over metal has a warm feel. Furniture should offer a variety of colors, shapes and configurations to create less of an institutional appearance.
Pouffes to place in the garden areas & to provide a more comfortable & less institutional appearance to the lounge.
Lighting & ceiling
- Soft lighting. - Concealed to encourage safety. - Sunlight is calming & healing. - Slight sunlight let through pergola glass. - Not too many overwhelming natural associations. Credit - Google images
Imbibing a multisensory calming therapeutic experience in the therapy waiting room by virtue of space design
- Calming wallpaper music (inspired by white noise). - Not too overwhelming. - Patients should not get triggered by sounds (negative memories). - Calm soft waterfall music
- Calming lemon-ey smell in the space. - Lemon scent is considered to have mental healing properties. - Create a light sense of association via smell in the space. - This would create attachment between the patients & the space. Credit - Google images
Material swatches
Linoleum flooring easy to clean, non slippabe, protective coverings.
Wooden panels
natural, creates interesting juxtaposition, seamlesness & relatability. Provides a sense of warmth & comfort to the space.
Glass
creates flow & transparency to ensure trust & safety.
Green grass
biophilic, relatable & creates juxtaposition. greenery is proven to have a calming & positive effect on the mind.
Concrete
texture may be used to create a metaphorical juxtapostion & give a raw & pure feeling to the space.
Juxtaposition of materials (ex. grass i.e. natural material & man made linoleum floors) is a metaphor for the transitioning negative to positive state of mind that behavioural healthcare makes one experience.
Colour swatches
Off white with taupe accents
Off white with light orange accents
Off white with pastel blue accents
The colors shouldn’t really jump out, they should create a feeling of light, happiness and beauty in the space. No individual colors should be too strong. Pastel colors are some of the most beautiful colors for the environment as they have a richness of color yet conveyed in a way that is soft and comforting. Using a pastel color that is rich and not too light or dark could create an accent wall that has the right degree of presence and subtle differentiation from adjoining off-white, non-accent walls. Avoidance of colours like red that are associated with trauma.
“Designing a product is designing a relationship.� ~ Steve Rogers
~ Ayus R. (Industrial designer)
Tanishqa Bobde (Service & UX designer)