As we wrapped up an inspiring and thought-provoking Session 17 at this year’s European Healthcare Design Conference, it became increasingly clear that the common thread uniting our discussions was this: truly effective healthcare environments must be both standardised and person centred. That may sound paradoxical at first, but as each speaker highlighted, standardisation—when underpinned by empathy, research, and co-production, can be a powerful enabler of inclusivity and better health outcomes.
Truly effective healthcare environments must be both standardised and person centred.
Rethinking Standardisation: A Foundation for Personalised Care
We often hear that “one size does not fit all,” and in healthcare, this couldn’t be truer. However, well-considered guidance and standardised approaches don’t have to equate to sterile or impersonal spaces. Instead, they can offer a strong, reliable foundation upon which designers can flex, adapt, and respond to individual and community needs. When you begin with a robust, inclusive brief, shaped through deep engagement and genuine co-production with users, you don’t just design for the average patient; you design for everyone.
Designing from Experience: The Power of Lived Insight
Dr Sarah Geen Uni of the Arts, London underscored how the built environment directly influences patient wellbeing—from the positioning of natural light to acoustics, and access to nature. But it’s not just about physical materials; it’s about creating emotionally safe, reassuring, and familiar environments. This ties directly into Brent Railton’s Studio STH, Australia insights into lived experience. His point that all healthcare environments—not just mental health settings—benefit from listening to those with real-world experiences was powerful. Lived experience reveals subtleties that no guidance document can fully capture, and ensures our spaces feel authentic and human.
Co-Production and the Brief: Designing with, not for
Parastoo Zali PhD Researcher demonstrated how person-centred design can foster true equity. If we’re to design spaces that meet diverse needs, we must avoid assumptions. Engagement allows us to address inequalities that can otherwise remain invisible. It’s not just about accessibility; it’s about dignity, autonomy, and belonging.
Wayfinding as a Human Experience
Wayfinding came up across all presentations, and it’s a detail that can’t be overlooked. When wayfinding is intuitive, recognisable, and grounded in familiar cues, it reduces stress for patients, carers, and staff alike. Simplicity and clarity are often overlooked virtues in an age of design complexity. But they’re essential in environments where cognitive load and emotional strain are high.
The Quiet Power of Communication in Design
Lastly, one of the key takeaways I’d emphasise is this: communication is as much a design feature as bricks and mortar. An informed patient is a calmer patient. From signage to digital interfaces, from personal interactions to environmental cues, every touchpoint shapes how safe, supported, and in control someone feels.
Towards Inclusive Healing Spaces
So where do we go from here? We must keep advocating for holistic, person-centred design strategies supported by intelligent standardisation and genuine user engagement. Let’s not design for the ideal patient, but for the real person—with their complexities, fears, hopes, and expectations.
Together, we have the opportunity—and the responsibility—to create healthcare environments that don’t just treat but heal.
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