Health care is a highly sensitive field where emotions run high, and the experience of care can significantly impact a patient’s well-being. Patients and their families often feel overwhelmed, anxious, and uncertain about medical procedures, while they need to put a lot of trust in the medical staff and doctors. [S3] Sometimes it is about lifelong consequences and sometimes even about life or death. This makes effective communication and empathetic care crucial aspects of the health care experience to make patients feel safe and understood.

Context: Why Design Thinking?

Stanford Health Care is part of the adult health care delivery system of Stanford Medicine. Stanford Medicine contains three organizations: [S1]

Stanford School of Medicine, a research-intensive medical school
Stanford Children’s Health, a family-centered hospital for children
Stanford Health Care, a teaching-hospital combining clinical care, research, and education.

It is renowned for its groundbreaking achievements, such as the first successful combined heart-lung transplant, and is consistently ranked among the best hospitals in the United States. [S3]

The Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford, also known as the d.school, is a key driver of innovation within Stanford, promoting human-centered approaches to solving complex problems in any field, for example health care. The institute actually played an important role in the initial development of the Design Thinking process. After Herbert A. Simon set the roots in the 1960s, d.school developed a systematic methodology. [S5] Patient experience is one of the main pillars of Stanford Health Care showing how committed they are to improve their patients’ well-being. [S2]

All of this shows that innovation and an empathetic, human-centric mindset are central values at Stanford. As a consequence, Stanford Health Care turned to the Design Thinking process as a way to improve patient experience. To achieve this, a two-day workshop was organized in 2016. By applying a human-centered approach, the institution searched for innovative solutions that would simplify processes, improve communication, and ensure that patients felt understood and valued throughout their medical journey.

Participants: Who Was Involved?

The Design Thinking workshop was offered by the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford. Alpa Vyas, Stanford Health Care’s Vice President for Patient Experience, played a crucial role in leading the initiative. She is responsible for developing and driving core patient and family-centered programs. [S7]

One of the class’s teachers was Alexei Wagner, a clinical instructor of emergency medicine and a visiting lecturer at the d.school. Two design strategists, Emelie Wagner and Marney Boughan, co-taught the class, bringing their extensive experience in user-centered design and innovation to guide participants through the Design Thinking process. [S4]

The workshop included 14 students from diverse academic backgrounds who participated in hands-on learning activities. Additionally, patients and their families were actively involved in the process, sharing their experiences and insights through interviews. Their participation ensured that the solutions developed during the workshop were rooted in real-world health care challenges and needs. [S4]

Activities: A Two-Day Workshop

The Design Thinking workshop was structured around the five key stages of the Design Thinking process: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test. In the Empathize stage, you get to know users and understand their needs by observing, interviewing, and listening to them. Define is all about identifying the main problem based on what you’ve learned. During Ideate, you brainstorm many ideas and explore different ways to solve the problem. In the Prototype stage, you build simple versions of your ideas to test and get quick feedback. Finally, the Test stage is where you see how well your solutions work and make improvements based on what you learn. [S6]

The workshop placed a particular emphasis on the Empathize and Prototype stages. By deeply engaging with patients and their families, participants gained firsthand insight into their struggles, which informed the development of meaningful solutions. The prototyping phase then allowed them to quickly iterate and refine their ideas, ensuring they were practical and effective in addressing real health care challenges. [S4]

Day 1: Understanding Patient Experience

The first day of the workshop focused on building empathy, which is a fundamental principle of Design Thinking. Participants engaged in interviews and role-playing exercises where they took on the roles of patients and their families. Through these simulations, they experienced firsthand what it was like to navigate the health care system, from waiting for appointments to trying to understand medical discussions. [S4]

One of the most significant insights gained from this exercise was how overwhelming and confusing the health care system can be for patients. Many felt excluded from important conversations about their treatment, as doctors often used technical language without explaining it in a way that patients could understand. Families also expressed frustration at the lack of clear communication, which only added to their stress. [S4]

Alexei Wagner emphasized the importance of this exercise, stating that it encouraged participants to step outside their own perspectives and truly listen to the people they were designing for. This shift in mindset laid the foundation for the second phase of the workshop, where participants worked on developing concrete solutions. [S4]

Day 2: Prototyping Real Solutions

The second day was dedicated to brainstorming and prototyping solutions based on the insights gathered on the first day. Participants developed various prototypes aimed at improving communication between medical staff and patients. [S4]

These prototypes were designed to be practical and easily integrated into existing hospital procedures. By focusing on clear and coordinated communication, the teams aimed to reduce patient anxiety and create a more transparent health care experience. [S4]

Results

The Design Thinking workshop led to impactful changes at Stanford Health Care. After participants of the workshop presented their successful results, the hospital’s administrators decided to integrate Design Thinking principles into the planning and development of the new Stanford Hospital that opened its doors in 2019. This approach aimed to create a more patient-centered, efficient, and innovative health care environment in the new hospital. [S4]

Additionally, Design Thinking was applied to redesign two nursing units in the existing hospital to serve cancer patients. Alpa Vyas highlighted how Design Thinking is becoming deeply enmeshed in all aspects of Stanford Health Care’s operations, emphasizing its growing importance in shaping patient experience. As a result, Design Thinking is now seen as an essential tool for addressing complex challenges and delivering improved patient experiences. [S4]

Conclusion and Lessons Learned

The workshop provided several key lessons that could be applied to future health care innovations:

Empathy is essential for designing better health care systems. By stepping into the patients’ shoes, health care professionals gained a deeper understanding of their needs and challenges.
Patients want to be included in their own health care decisions. As Alpa Vyas noted, patients highly value clear and coordinated communication.
Design Thinking is an effective approach for tackling complex problems in health care. The structured process of empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping and testing solutions led to tangible improvements in patient experience. [S4]

The Design Thinking initiative at Stanford Health Care demonstrated how a human-centered approach can lead to significant improvements in patient care. By fostering empathy, and rapidly prototyping solutions, the workshop helped create a more patient-friendly health care system. This project could serve as a model for other hospitals and health care institutions looking to enhance their services. It highlights the idea that innovation in health care is not only about technological advances but also about rethinking the way care is delivered. By truly listening to patients and designing solutions that meet their needs, hospitals can create a more caring and understanding health care experience for all.

Source

[S1] “About us“, https://stanfordhealthcare.org/about-us.html as of 06.04.2025.

[S2] “Stanford Health Care Elevates Patient Experience with Design Thinking“,
https://www.consumerehealthengagement.com/consumerehealthengagement/2023/9/5/stanford-health-care-elevates-patient-experience-with-design.html, as of 06.04.2024.

[S3] “Standford Healthcare“, https://de.scribd.com /document /413053213/Stanford-Healthcare , as of 06.04.2025.

[S4] “Design thinking as a way to improve patient experience“,
https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2016/06/design-thinking-as-a-way-to-improve-patient-experience.html , as of 06.04.2025.

[S5] “Design Thinking“, https://hpi.de/en/d-school/topics/design-thinking/ , as of 06.04.2025.

[S6] “The Stanford Design Thinking Process “, https://makeiterate.com/the-stanford-design-thinking-process /, as of 06.04.2025.

[S7] “Alpa Vyas” https://patientexperience.wbresearch.com/speakers/alpa-vyas, as of 06.04.2025.