My comments on this article are on my site. I also included some related links, like a photo of the Mayo waiting room.

Posted by: Lyle the Pop Up Hater on March 28, 2003 10:24 AM

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I like this article's focus on the usability of these environments. It definitely changes my mood when I go to a doctors office and I see flowers or fish tanks (the standard "feel good" accessories).

I used to work in finance, and we faced a similar question about attire when many businesses started going casual or business casual. The question was whether we wanted to relax our mode of dress and potentially give customers the idea that we weren't as secure and competent. We did some customer surveys and finally decided not to relax the dress code, but to have "casual Fridays" where we could wear slacks and a company polo shirt. At events outside work (but related to work, like annual meetings) we still had to observe dress code.

Where I work now, the developers dress casually and the sales people dress in suits or business casual clothes. I sometimes feel weird sitting in all-staff meetings with my sweater and jeans, but I'm still taken just as seriously as the sales or marketing guys. I think developers have pioneered the relaxed look as a sort of "uniform." Interesting stuff.

Posted by: Lydia on March 28, 2003 01:38 PM

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I have an immediate negative reaction to the Mayo waiting room. I expect a hospital to be white. Sure, there's no health-related reason for white, but so what. You break the convention and you leave me unsettled.

Posted by: on March 28, 2003 04:35 PM

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I think it's worth noting that Mayo is a premiere clinic - world leaders go to Mayo for serious health problems. Their doctors are the most special of specialists. My assumption is that most people going to Mayo have already been to a bunch of standard 'white' hospitals and clinics that look sterile. One attribute of Mayo's brand might be that they are different - that they care and listen more. If they had a 'standard' white waiting room, people would expect the same kind of experience they've had at other facilities - usually those other facilities haven't been able to answer the patient's questions (e.g. what have you got?) or to solve their health problem.

I'd guess Mayo wants people to enter their facility and think "maybe at this place it'll be different."

Posted by: Lyle the Pop Up Hater on March 28, 2003 05:35 PM

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...or is shatters their confidence in the Mayo name and they wonder, "What have I gotten myself into? Who are these clowns?"

Posted by: on March 30, 2003 10:58 AM

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