Supporting Better Care Experiences Through Multigenerational Design
With healthcare facilities now serving six generations at once, designing for a single user profile is no longer sufficient. Patients and family members of varying ages bring different physical abilities, communication preferences, and care expectations, all of which must be supported within shared environments. At the same time, healthcare workforces are themselves multigenerational, with varying needs around technology, collaboration, privacy, and work style. When done well, multigenerational design improves safety, comfort, and accessibility, strengthening the patient experience while also supporting staff engagement, satisfaction, and operational efficiency.
Generational Realities Shaping Healthcare
Design Thinking:
Inclusive design that considers multiple generations ensures that every patient and accompanying family member can navigate and use community spaces comfortably, enhancing the overall care experience.
Inclusive design for multigenerational support and access
Community and social spaces
Provide tech-enabled zones and worksurfaces to support productivity, a mix of private and communal areas to accommodate different social preferences, and varied seating options to ensure comfort and accessibility for all abilities.
Hospitality Lounges
Hospitality lounges—with varied seating and surface heights to accommodate different postures, tasks, and interactions—redefine traditional healthcare dining areas and create inviting spaces where patients and families can relax, recharge, and connect.
Design Thinking:
As care preferences vary across generations, exam environments must support both in-person and virtual interactions, allowing care teams to meet patients where they are without disrupting workflows.
Environments designed for evolving care
Hybrid-ready exam rooms
Designed to support in-person visits, virtual consults, and family-inclusive conversations, these spaces accommodate generational care preferences while maintaining clinical efficiency and patient comfort.
Tele-health-ready spaces
Dedicated pods equipped for virtual visits expand access while freeing traditional consult rooms for higher demand, in-person care.
Design Thinking:
A multigenerational workforce benefits from environments that balance focus and collaboration, providing caregivers with options for privacy, restoration, and teamwork that support engagement and effectiveness.
Choice-driven settings to support engagement
Flexible break areas
To mitigate burnout for multigenerational staff, provide breakout spaces with a mix of private nooks and shared areas to support preferences for respite, focus, or connection.
Shared staff workspaces
Shared caregiver offices balance individual work needs with spaces for collaboration to support varying work style preferences.
