Affiliations: [a] JimConna Inc., Carbondale, CO, USA | [b] Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands | [c] Assistant VP for Academic Affairs and Research, Eastern New Mexico University, Portales, NM, USA | [d] Department of Design and Environmental Analysis, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Conne Bazley, 5966 County Road 109, Carbondale, CO 81623, USA. Tel.: +1 970 618 5895; E-mail: [email protected].
Abstract: BACKGROUND: This study compared the effects of pre-experience and expectations on participant comfort upon waking, arrival to, and after an appointment, as well as the assessment of properly placed Feng Shui elements in three healthcare waiting rooms. METHODS: Participants assessed comfort levels using self-report surveys. The researcher conducted ‘intention interviews’ with each doctor to assess the goals of each waiting area design, and conducted a Feng Shui assessment of each waiting area for properly placed Feng Shui elements. RESULTS: The waiting area designed by the Feng Shui expert rated ‘most comfortable’, followed by the waiting area design by a doctor, and the lowest comfort rating for the conventional waiting room design. Results show a sufficiently strong effect to warrant further research. CONCLUSIONS: Awareness of the external environment, paired with pre-experience and expectation, influences comfort for people over time. Fostering and encouraging a holistic approach to comfort utilizing eastern and western concepts and ergonomic principles creates a sense of “placeness” and balance in the design for comfort in built environments. This is new research information on the influences of the comfort experience over time, to include pre-experience, expectations and the placement of elements in the external environment.
