Transition Lounge Installation

Recently, we posted about installing a new set of signage designs for the Transition Lounge ward in the Level 5 public space. The job has been completed along side a  awareness campaign for the services offered by the Transition Lounge. A similar exercise is currently underway with ED waiting room to communicate key information and visual cues through simple, bold colour blocking. These hi-fi prototypes are ideal for testing in the hospital and contribute to a more informed approach to way finding hospital wide.

Spatial Design Presentations

As part of the work to help establish a clear front door for the hospital, the lab extended an opportunity for 3rd year spatial design students from AUT University to propose their views on a hospital 'welcome.'Under the guidance of designer and lecturer Andrew Douglas, the group worked on concepts ranging from infrastructural changes to Park road and hospital facilities, to way finding installations and services. Earlier this week, the students presented their final work to a panel in the Lab space with some great results.

Well done to all the students for wrestling with such a complex design challenge and pushing the boundaries of what a strong 'front door' should represent.

Stay tuned for more images of their work to come.

Above renders: Taewoo, Katie and Katherine

LAB Friends: Air New Zealand

Recently Air New Zealand visited the DHW lab, interested in its approach to in- house innovation at the Auckland City Hospital.  More specifically, we discussed the agency of a studio space within the hospital and how an unused storage space was converted into the pop up work environment. Following their visit to the hospital, Air New Zealand hosted the some members of the Lab team at their innovation and event centre in downtown Auckland. We look forward to maintaining this relationship as both creative spaces change and develop in the coming months!

Too little Too much

Post Graduate Graphic Designer, Eden Short has been working part time at the DHW lab while also taking on her Masters in Design. Her work focusses on exploring ways communication design can be used to ease stress and anxiety in information dense Outpatient environments. Read her project abstract below:

This project explores how a design-led approach could be used to improve the heath-seeker experience within Auckland City Hospital. Whilst addressing physical wellness, hospitals overlook the high stress, anxiety and uncertainty that come with this particular environment. This research explores the concept that large amounts of unstructured information presented at one time overwhelm the health-seeker, hinders communication and creates a negative emotional toll. This research focuses on the Starship Children’s Hospital Outpatient’s department as a prototyping area for which user engagement may be facilitated to improve the patient’s understanding of information. The scope considerations all information within the environment, yet focuses primarily on wayfinding, and secondarily health campaigns and health related resources.[1] Placing the health-seeker at the centre of the design process, there is a focus on how creating emotionally supportive information environments could improve the hospital experience, such as reducing information overload, designing for affect, and enabling transparency. Through prototyping, designs can be produced to respond to real problems, test assumptions and validate need for change. 

[1] Other presentations of information cannot be ignored as they contribute to the overload of information, thus hinders communication.  

Recently, Eden put together a feedback station to gauge user feedback for the current information design in outpatient clinics:

Transition Lounge Signage

As apart of the lab's work to improve public spaces, we are working with staff on a campaign to help both patients and other hospital wards understand how to use the Transition Lounge:

In addition to this campaign, we are testing a new signage and way finding language in the space. Using an in-house vinyl cutter we are able to quickly mock up signage solutions and test there suitability before install.

Pharmacy Front Desk

In changing the current check-out services Auckland Hospital Pharmacy provides, a new counter is being conceptualised to support these services. Through low-fi, full scale mock ups we designated areas for prescription drop-off, prescription pick-up and general retail – this was to combat the dense amount of people queuing at one time. In order to understand how three services can function within one area, we spent an afternoon protoyping the space, moving pieces around to resolve a functional and coherent setup. The key considerations that are shaping this work: being inclusive to those in wheelchairs and mobility scooters, providing privacy for those picking up prescriptions, enabling an unobstructed flow, and selecting the ideal drop-off point which is quick and easy to access.