Placing Users at the Center: Evaluating Exam Room Design for Improved User Experience

Abstract

Objective: This article proposes a method for evaluating the design affordances of primary care exam rooms from the perspectives of users using functional scenario (FS) analysis. Goal: This study aims to develop quantifiable criteria and spatial metrics for evaluating how exam room design supports the needs of different users. These criteria and metrics can be used in the early stages of the design process to choose between alternatives. Background: The primary care exam room is an essential space in healthcare, as it is the first point of contact between the healthcare provider and the patient. However, there is a lack of rigorous evaluation metrics for exam room design that supports improved user experiences and better health outcomes. Method: A total of nine primary care exam rooms were analyzed using FS analysis. We identified three key user groups involved in the clinical examination process—providers, patients, and care partners—and translated their needs into FSs. We developed spatial metrics for each FS to quantify the extent to which the needs were spatially supported. Results: We developed 11 FSs in total: three from the providers’, five from the patients’, and three from the care partners’ perspectives. The results revealed possible design strategies for improved user experiences. Conclusions: We quantitatively measured the affordance of primary care exam room design for multiple stakeholders. We expect that the criteria and metrics presented in this article will improve the understanding of different users’ perspectives and provide new design guidance for improved user experiences.

From evidence to assessment: Developing a scenario-based computational design algorithm to support informed decision-making in primary care clinic design workflow

“…The FSA method has been successfully used to assess the design of healthcare facilities such as exam rooms, clinics, ICUs, NICUs, and biocontainment rooms. 28,31 Previously, we used FSA in the SimTigrate Design Lab to analyze Mayo Clinic’s teamwork performance based on layout; this research extends the previous analysis by automating the process. 44,45…”

“…This multi-step method can help researchers evaluate design affordance and identify the most effective design features to improve desired outcomes. 28,31 We posit that this method could be utilized to develop scenario-based digital assessment tools. Developing new-generation computational design algorithms based on scenario-based assessment methods allows the incorporation of real-world user experience and tailoring of design alternatives based on the specific needs of each project.…”

Improving the Mental Health of Surgical Teams Through Operating Room Design

“…To fully understand and evaluate the OR layout from the perspective of users, in the last step of the study, we employed the FS analysis approach (Denham et al, 2018; Matić et al, 2022). FS analysis is an effective tool for understanding how users interact with their environment.…”