Research

Site Visit

I visited the Waitemata DHB’s current Telehealth Hub located at the Northshore Hospital. The hub sits in the i3 department entrance, creating a space for staff to have a place for possible meetings and discussions (creating a space for privacy).

My first reaction to the design was that it was very structured and corporate, and stood out in relation to the surrounding interior environment. (The design of the hub seemed out of place in relation to site of a hospital.)

i3 Telehealth Hub

Entrance

Inside

Seating

Chat/Video Calling Device

Measurements

Site Observations

Notes from Staff Conversation

Reflection from the Visit

After this visit I became aware of the context and environment of the hub’s purpose. Understanding that this space’s context is a medical space, but will be placed within an environment exterior to healthcare. Becoming a mobile entity of healthcare.

Additionally, critiquing the concept of why this clinical space resembles a structured and business-like enviornment, understanding how the experience of corporate booth relates and effects the experience for health spaces.

I also created a list of necessities for the design, allowing the space to be accessible and open to all users and their whauna. Further considering who the users will be, and how the design will have interact with their mobility size, etc.

Current Hubs within Auckland

To understand how users will interact and engage with a hub like space I began to observe and anaylse similar spaces within the Auckland community. The ideal of a Telehealth Booth or Hub is very limited within the current community, so I began looking in areas like libraries, public spaces,…..

Wāhi Hui – Meeting Rooms

https://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/turanga-turanga-spaces-and-facilities-turanga-bookable-spaces-and-meeting-rooms/#rooms

Bookable spaces and meeting rooms at Tūranga

A couple weeks ago I had visited Christchurch and its City Library, which provides these hub-like spaces on every level of the Library, for the communities use. These spaces service a place of privacy within a public setting, not visually but rather supply privacy of conversation and noise.

The space provides:

• . Table
• . 6 Chairs
• . Wall-mounted white-board
• . Fitting 4 people comfortably, and 6 maximum.

The design of the space itself provides enough space to comfortably move around and sit. The space itself is completely accessible to community members, with booking the space through calling or at the front desk.

The Design and function of the space

These meeting rooms are located on all levels of the library except the bottom floor (entrance), for individuals with mobility support of motorised chairs and wheelchairs will have to access these spaces through the lift.

The entrance to the hub space being around 1m wide, this creates possible constraints for mobile uses to enter the space. The space itself is quite spacious and allows placement for prams and wheelchairs.

The design of having a glass wall inbetween the room and the public created a easy understanding of wherther the space was empty or occupied, but created issues of privacy. As the space is open up to the rest of the public many people would stair and watch into the space to see if it was free or not. This created many distractions whilst I was studying in the space.

The space itself created boundraies of sound from the surrounding environment, creating a quite and relaxing space. The room was very spacious with providing enough space for 6 people to sit comfortably, as well room surounding the seating table.

AUT Sir Paul Reeves Building

I began for looking for booth like spaces within the Aut campus, observing small private spaces for the students to use. Since I visited the builiding during the day time is was very busy with lots of people and noises, so I didn’t take any images as not wanting to disurpt peoples privacy.

Within the building there are many seating areas that provide a sense of privacy and reseveration, with having the space almost closed off. This experience of being enclosed creates some sense of cover and privacy from others within a physical sense, but does not remove the privacy of sound.

This reminds me of the Study booth within the Christchurch City library, as though both spaces provide the space to sit and get comfortable, but one is experienced as more private. Due to the placement of a glass wall, this glass wall doesn’t create privacy but over from stares, but provides privacy of sound.

The experience of the space within itself was not private at all, with being exsposed to the sound, movement and light of the rest of the enviornment.

• . The experience of sitting within the space was comfortable, with the seats being nice and squishy, and wide providing a lot of room for sitting. The table was high up as well creating enough distance between the body and the table.

While I was observing the study booths in the WC building I noticed some students creating their own private space, with their seating. The shaping of the chairs allowed the students to create a booth like space, but without the roof. The design of their new space provided privacy from sounds, light, and other people.

This creates the question of what is privacy? Is it from the view of the surrounding enviornment and their factors? Or is it from the surrounding inhabtants of the space?

The Journey of using the hub

After observing how people engage with different hub like spaces I began to think about the journey that is undertakne to use the space and each journey would alter depending on the user.

Who are the users of the Telehealth space?

• – Patients;
• – Elderly
• – Children
• – Families/whanua
• – Friends(support)
• – People with mobility disadvantages- wheelchairs, walkers, motorised chairs

With considering the user the experience of the space will differ for each.

How will the users access the hub

Entrance:

• -To enter the space the users will have to arrive on sight to the hub, and wait outside the door. The current door is very heavy the user will have to drop everything out of their hands, and hold the door open for themselves and others to enter the space.
• – For users with mobility and physical disadvantages the user will have to have someone hold the door open for their access.

• – Then if the user hand any sort of chair of pramp with them, they would have to let it outside the space as it doesn’t fit inside, so may have to leave the door open to wtach the whole appointmnet, or have someone sit outside with it.
• – Then wiggle into the seats, or have guidenece wiggling into the seats to get ready for the appointment.

Appointment:

• – Then to begin the appointment the users will have to follows the printed instrustions of using the technology of the space. Setting up if the chat is text or call, the placement of the screen.
• -Getting all of the supporting users comfortable in the space, with sitting a seeing the screen.
• – Since the screen is an ipad the users will have to pull and push the ipad around the table to share th einformation between eachother.
• – Ingonring the moving shadows of people around the hub.

Existing:

• – To exist the space the users will have to push the door open and hold it open for all of the users to get out. Or have their mobility support given back to them to help exist the space.

Then enter the space