Case Study: The Bridge Communications Solution

context: culmination of upper-level design courses, Vancouver Island University

research; art direction; ui/ux; experiential design; branding & identity; publication design; pitch & presentation; Adobe InDesign; Adobe Illustrator; Adobe Photoshop; Figma

Role

Designer, Co-Art Director

Year

2024-2025

Though not broadly spoken about, medical error is a common, even leading, cause of death across many healthcare systems. Studies cite that 80% of these medical errors are caused by miscommunication amongst healthcare professionals.

The Bridge is an experiential response to this issue; a space designated for handoff procedures. Here, nurses and physicians can prioritize communication, free from the many distractions and interruptions of the ER environment.

Designed elements of the solution include a website, nurse orientation materials, detailed floor plans, and collateral for the space and user.

Defining the Problem

Before beginning to solve a problem, the problem needs to be clearly defined. Here, this was accomplished by:

Framing the desired outcome by asking and answering a series of questions regarding the problem and subsequently composing an initial success statement.

Examining pre-existing understandings of the problem, then identifying and challenging those assumptions.

Establishing the audience affected by this problem and developing a persona.

Visualizing the problem through a storyboard.

Storyboard development

Notes from an interview

Conducting Research

Informing a direction.

My initial inclings of the solution were of something software based, an on-screen form process of some sort. Through my initial literature reviews, however, I learned that in many instances, environment was a key factor in misscommunication. I verified this through further research including:

A deeper dive into peer reviewed articles and papers.

Unstructured interviews with emergency nurses from varying locations across Canada.

A focus group discussion with emergency nurses who shared pain points and insights.

Findings from my research allowed me to take a less expected but more informed approach to designing a communications solution. My solution began to take the form of a designed environment.

Designing a Solution

The solution realized through planning, ideation, and design.

The research exposed a clear, informed direction for my solution. The design decisions I made drew on a new understanding of how specific sensory conditions, many inherently present in our natural environments, can support the process of human communication. Each element is sprinkled with nature’s influence; forest-like features including colour, texture, lighting, and sound. The design process included:

Ideating spacial design concepts, through a series of prototype layouts. Testing and feedback from peers informed several rounds of revisions.

Exploring typefaces and forms for both logos (solution and parent company) through sketches and digital iterations.

Refining and combining these elements in the creation of a website and orientation booklet to help integrate The Bridge into workplace routine.