Redefining Pediatric Hospital Service Design
By combining a mobile game and a wearable device, it tackles challenges that children face in hospital—such as anxiety, lack of understanding, and limited engagement—in order to create a more supportive atmosphere for children, parents, and medical professionals.
Project Type:
Personal Project
UIUX Design
Industrial Design
Deliverables:
User research, UX/UI design, educational game, wearable device concept
Time Frame:
10 weeks / 2023
Tools:
Figma, Miro, Unity, SolidWorks, KeyShot, AIGC
Context
Background
A Transformative Encounter in A Pediatric Hospital
One afternoon at a pediatric hospital, I witnessed my nephew’s deep fear of needles and the distress of other young patients. The sterile, unfamiliar environment overwhelmed him, turning what should have been a place of healing into a source of anxiety. His resistance to a simple blood test made me question:
“Why must a hospital visit, a journey towards healing, be a source of fear for children?”
This experience sparked my mission to redefine pediatric healthcare. I envisioned hospitals as spaces of empathy, education, and comfort—where children feel safe rather than scared. By integrating engaging environments, child-friendly communication, and emotional support, we can transform the way young patients experience medical care.
Problem & Goal
Children often face emotional distress, anxiety, and confusion during medical visits. The “White Coat Effect”—where a hospital’s clinical atmosphere and intimidating procedures trigger fear—can result in increased anxiety, miscommunication, and even adverse health outcomes like white coat hypertension.
Addressing these issues became the primary objective of this redesign: to unify empathetic care, clear communication, and interactive technology into a single, cohesive experience that supports children, parents, and medical professionals.
"CHIZZO" Education Game & Wearable Device
Unify empathetic care, clear communication, and interactive technology into a single, cohesive experience that supports children, parents, and medical professionals.
The "Chizzo" education game uses interactive storytelling, role-playing, and simulations to familiarize children with hospital procedures and reduce their anxiety.
Research
Research Methods
Data Analysis
Reviewed existing literature and statistical data related to pediatric healthcare, including studies on the White Coat Effect and pediatric hypertension. This provided context for the primary data and helped validate the insights gathered from the direct research.
Questionnaire
Distributed among over 570 children & parents in collaboration with a local primary school, these surveys focused on their emotional responses to hospital visits and their understanding of medical procedures.
Structural Interview
Conducted with 10 parents to capture qualitative data about their experiences during their children’s hospital visits. These interviews explored parental perceptions of the challenges faced by their children and their own interactions with healthcare providers.
Research Highlight - Primary
Core Focus: Investigate the specific challenges faced by children in hospitals
Pediatric patients often find medical experiences like preventive clinic visits, acute care, medical procedures, and hospital stays emotionally daunting and psychologically distressing. [1] Their lack of control over these environments can lead to psychological trauma, manifesting as anxiety, aggression, anger, and other intense emotional reactions.
This feeling of helplessness, amplified by fear and pain, can make children feel vulnerable and powerless when receiving healthcare. Such emotional turmoil can hinder timely medical treatment, prolong procedures, and negatively impact patient satisfaction.
Takeaway
“What is White Coat Effect (WCH)?”
The Overlooked Impact of WCH in Pediatric Patients
Given the substantial number of pediatric patients, their inherent apprehension towards medical procedures and healthcare professionals, often referred to as the White Coat Effect (WC), [3] may even precipitate white coat hypertension (WCH) in these young individuals. Yet such a situation is still being ignored.
The children with hypertension in US is currently up to 4.5% — or 3.34 million. [3] Almost 47% of them have WCH.
There was no significant difference in the prevalence of WCH in relation to age, gender, [3] or the presence or absence of causes of hypertension. Meaning that any child affected by WC would be diagnosed with hypertension because of their WCH symptoms.
If the children's anxiety and psychological condition is enough to affect the diagnosis, then who can prove that they are really unwell?
Prevalence of WCH in Pediatric Patients
Understanding Children's Anxiety in Healthcare
Stakeholders in Pediatric Healthcare and Hypertension Management
I'm sure a lot of people's bad memories of doctors as kids started with vaccinations, including mine. "I don't think I can trust them" became a constant voice in my mind. However, I realized this anxiety with healthcare professionals aren't typically due to their actions or diagnoses. Psychological aspects also account for a large part of the reason.
To explore this further, I developed a questionnaire targeting children and students aged 6-15, with the local primary school’s support, gathering responses from over 560 participants.
See the full Questionnaire report here
Questionnaire Insights
Challenges that most of the respondents faced (7yr - 16yr):
Worries about future visits or the outcome of treatment
Difficulty in understanding medical jargon
Loud noises, bright lights, smells and crowded spaces in hospitals brings anxiety
Fear of being separated from parents during procedures
Children's anxiety stems from uncertainty about medical procedures. They often understand the need for treatment but are unclear about the specifics, such as tests and medications. This lack of control and understanding fuels their fear and anxiety.
Children’s Journey Mapping in Pediatric Hospital Based on the Questionnaire [4] [5]
User Journey Mapping Insights
Resilience: The need for emotional and mental support.
Anticipation: Preparing children for what to expect during procedures.
Engagement: Actively involving children in their own healthcare process.
Diagnosing Children’s Low Satisfaction
User Journey Mapping Insights
Parents' "power grabbing" [6] interactions with healthcare providers, misdirection of children's stressful behavior, and a lack of forewarning of unknown treatments may further erode trust in the healthcare system, potentially impacting engagement with the medical system, and thus child health outcomes.
This impact may be exacerbated in vulnerable households, including those with limited financial resources or language barriers.
Insights of Primary Research
Main Pain Points
Pre-Visit Anxiety: Fear of injections, treatment pain, and PTSD triggers (e.g., smells, hospital environments).
Unpredictable Experiences: Lack of consistency across visits fuels uncertainty and anxiety.
Unheard Voices: Clear expressions of fear/doubt are dismissed by parents and medical staff.
Summary
Pediatric outpatient care must evolve beyond clinical expertise and parental oversight—it needs frameworks that empower children to actively participate in their care journey.
Next Step
Exploring science and tactics behind the top three challenges (Resilience, Anticipation, Engagement) that children have when they use the pediatric hospital service and how I can impact them with specific designs.
Research Highlight - Secondary
Core Focus: Parental Role in the "Care Trinity"
Parental support is not innate—it requires structured guidance to bridge gaps in resilience, predictability, and agency within the caregiver-guardian-patient dynamic.
“Can parents effectively support children who lack resilience, anticipation, and engagement during care?” is my next question to find answers.
Structural Interview - Parents
I interviewed 10 target parents and conducted a 15-minute structural interview. The questions mainly about How to deal with the child's anxiety and resistance and what happened before and after.
Key Findings
Unaddressed Anxiety: Children (6-15 yrs) express fear/anxiety through behavior, not words, due to developmental limitations.
Ignored Needs: 73% of children’s emotional cues were dismissed; caregivers/doctors defaulted to a "power-over" approach.
Simple Solutions: Providing age-appropriate choices reduced anxiety and improved emotional engagement.
Insights
Children’s healthcare experiences are hindered by systemic oversight of their nonverbal communication. Prioritizing developmental empathy—not control—can transform pediatric care dynamics.
Development
Ideation & Conceptualization
In the dynamic realm of pediatric healthcare, integrating technology to improve the patient experience is crucial. Immediately, two potential solutions come to mind: an educational mobile game and a hospital-provided wearable device upon arrival.
How game+device can be addressed in the three main challenges?
Emotional & Mental Health Issues
(Lacking Resilience)
Game:
The game's interactive storytelling could offer emotional support, enabling children to comprehend and express their feelings in a safe, playful setting
Wearable Device:
Real-time monitoring of stress or anxiety levels, alerting staff to provide timely support.
Supporting Research:
The use of digital tools for secure communication between patients and providers can improve the comfort and emotional well-being of both children and their parents
Cognitive & Emotional Preparedness Issues
(Lacking Anticipation)
Game:
Educational games can simulate hospital environments and procedures, enhancing cognitive and emotional preparedness.
Wearable Device:
Provides reminders and information about the upcoming procedures, aligning with the learned content from the game.
Supporting Research:
Digital tools facilitating secure communication between patients and providers enhance the comfort and emotional well-being of both children and their parents.
Interpersonal & Participatory Issues
(Previously Lacking Engagement)
Game:
Encourages decision-making skills by allowing children to choose aspects of their virtual care, fostering engagement.
Wearable Device:
Enables real-time participation in care decisions during the hospital visit.
Supporting Research:
Wearable tech can actively manage a child’s condition, promoting adherence to treatment plans and encouraging healthy behaviors
Service Blueprint & Design Goals
The service blueprint outlined the journey across various stages:
Pre-Visit Engagement
The game educates and emotionally prepares children at home.
Arrival and Initial Acclimatization
The wearable device is issued to help children adapt to the environment.
During the Visit
Interactive elements facilitate communication with healthcare providers, turning procedures into manageable, less intimidating experiences.
Post-Visit Follow-Up
Continued engagement through the game reinforces learning and supports emotional recovery.
Design Goals
Design goals focused on:
Enhancing Emotional Preparedness: Empowering children with clear, age-appropriate information.
Improving Communication: Enabling better interactions between children, parents, and clinicians.
Creating a Familiar Environment: Using consistent, comforting design elements to transform the hospital experience.
Prototyping
Game Flow Chart
Game Wireframe
Character Design & Weareable Device Mockups
Unity Development - Behind the Scenes
Final Design
The “CHIZZO” Educational Game
The "Chizzo" education game uses interactive storytelling, role-playing, and simulations to familiarize children with hospital procedures and reduce their anxiety.
The “CHIZZO” Wearable Game Device
The wearable device monitors the child's emotional and physical engagement in real-time, syncing with the game to provide rewards and support throughout the hospital experience.
Cat Doctor Blind Box Figure Design
Validation
I invited my sick nephew to test the entire experience from start to finish.
Reactions & Feedbacks
His journey through the project demonstrated that the interactive elements effectively ease anxiety and engage children. His positive reaction affirmed that our approach could significantly improve how pediatric patients perceive and navigate hospital visits.
Learnings
Reflections
Conclusion
In reimagining the pediatric hospital experience, this project has sought to blend empathy with innovation—transforming fear into a journey of empowerment and understanding. The iterative design process, informed by rigorous research and heartfelt user insights, has culminated in a system that bridges technology and human connection to create a more comforting, interactive healthcare experience.
However, out of love for design and the habits of designers, one notable imperfection remains: the form of the wearable device still needs to be further verified. Future iterations will focus on validating its ergonomics and user interaction to ensure that it not only meets aesthetic expectations but also functions seamlessly within the real-world context of pediatric care.
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