Adapting to user needs in the Hospital Patient Experience.
Future-Proofed Within Existing Ecosystems by integrating smoothly into existing hospital tech ecosystems (e.g. Hillrom), reducing adoption friction.
Supports Nursing Staff by Reducing Unnecessary Interruptions by freeing nurses from responding to non-critical interruptions (e.g., “When are can I have more pain meds?”), allowing them to focus on high-priority tasks.
Consolidation of Disparate Tools by combining multiple devices (TV, TV remote, iPad, call light, paper meal forms) into one smart interface.
Improved Patient Experience & Autonomy by empowering patients to manage small aspects of their care environment independently, from entertainment to non-urgent requests, reducing feelings of helplessness.
When my grandmother was hospitalized, I visited her often. Her biggest complaint at the hospital was her call light. She explained to me "I'm not sure if this call light is working or not, I pressed it and have been waiting for 30 minutes." This raised my concern on the satisfaction of the call light system.
For my final Capstone project as a Purdue UX design student, I wanted to explore and improve the hospital patient experience for medsurge patients.
Adapting to User Needs.
This project began with a structured Agile 2-week sprint plan, with an initial focus on improving hospital call light systems. However, once I began conducting user interviews and research with nurses and patients, it became clear that the issues extended far beyond the call light alone. Communication gaps, workflow stress, and emotional needs all shaped the overall patient-nurse interaction — and the broader patient experience itself. As a result, I expanded the project scope to explore a more holistic, patient-experience-focused solution. This pivot was challenging, but it allowed me to address deeper pain points and design more meaningfully.
Agile Project Plan.
What is a Medsurge Patient?
A med-surg patient is someone receiving care in a medical-surgical unit, the most common type of hospital unit.
A med-surg patient is typically admitted for non-critical, general medical or post-surgical care. These patients may be recovering from surgery, managing chronic illnesses, or being treated for acute but stable medical conditions.
Patients who are conscious and mobile (to some degree).
Individuals who may be experiencing pain, disorientation, or anxiety.
People who rely heavily on call lights, nurse communication, and comfort features to manage their recovery.
Nurse-Patient Interaction.
To better understand the patient experience, I analyzed the current nurse–patient interaction system, with a focus on the call light ecosystem — a critical component of med-surg care.
Uncover what’s working and what isn’t.
Identify system-level friction points.
Begin mapping the current environment and stakeholder roles.
I began with secondary research, browsing online forums (such as Reddit nursing threads and hospital experience posts) to gather general sentiment around call light systems. Then I conducted primary interviews with:
1 nurse assistant
2 registered nurses
1 former med-surg patient
Their insights revealed several recurring themes that shaped the rest of my design exploration.
Hospital Staff.
Call lights should only be used in urgent situations.
We had a code blue the other day, and everyone rushed to help, due to this, one patient's call light was on for 15 minutes. I felt really bad. Turns out she just wanted her door closed.
One patient was hitting their call light every 90-120 seconds on the last four hours of my shift.
Some patients think the call light button is a toy for stress relief.
The call light makes a REALLY annoying ding.
Theirs usually lots of call lights going off at once.
We constantly get interrupted, which leads to exhaustion.
You start to become numb to all the alarms, I go home with ringing in my head.
The call light button is hard to reach [to turn it off], I get into the patients way.
I have so many tasks to do.
Inpatients.
Some call light buttons are not labeled properly.
I accidentally sat on the remote. [which activated the call light].
I can't tell if my call light is on.
I don't use the call light because I don't want the nurses to think i'm bothering them.
I use the call light when I am bored and just want to talk to someone.
Is the nurse going to answer my call??
These nurses are so rude.
I wish the staff would stop bothering me.
I am so bored, there is nothing to do here.
This led me to uncover the following trends within the space:
Nurses will typically answer calls as they walk by, while others focus on the ones who have waited the longest. Call lights are communicated via a dome light and Vocera type device to nurses and staff. Hospital's typically use the Responder 5 and Hillrom call light ecosystems.
A motivation for hospitals to give a good patient experience stems from the NHCS ratings, where hospitals can receive public funding if patients are satisfied with the hospital experience.
Call Light Ambiguity - Patients and nurses have different ideas about how the call light works and what it should be used for.
Accidental presses - Call lights are frequently triggered unintentionally due to the physical layout or poor affordances of remotes.
Call light abuse - Some patients repeatedly press the button out of boredom, anxiety, or frustration, leading to unnecessary interruptions.
Alarm Fatigue - Nurses become desensitized to frequent alerts, reducing responsiveness and increasing risk.
Interruption Exhaustion - High volumes of alerts cause workflow disruption and cognitive fatigue for nursing staff.
To visualize how communication breaks down, I mapped the current nurse-patient call light workflow from patient activation to nurse response. This helped identify pain points and technology bottlenecks in the system.
A call light workflow learned from user interviews involving four stakeholders, and forum analysis.
With this understanding, I chose to focus on one specific call light ecosystem, acknowledging that med-surg patient experiences are shaped by a network of interdependent devices and processes.
The Baxter Hillrom Ecosystem of Devices.
To bring focus and realism to my project, I chose to center my exploration around the Baxter Hillrom ecosystem — a widely adopted and modern suite of medical devices commonly used in hospital call light environments.
This system stood out due to its:
Modern integration capabilities
Widespread use in med-surg units
Scalability for future hospital technology
To better understand how these devices interact and where friction points occur, I created a system diagram illustrating how Hillrom technologies work together within the nurse–patient communication flow.
LIfecycle of a call light utilizing the Hillrom Baxter ecosystem.
This helped me identify opportunities for intervention, particularly in areas where device handoffs, communication delays, or user misunderstandings disrupted the patient experience.
A Turning Point: Rethinking the Opportunity.
While mapping the Hillrom ecosystem, I discovered a device called the Hillrom Experience Pod Plus — a $2,000 floating bedside arm that holds and charges a patient's personal device (like a phone or tablet).
The Hillrom Experience Pod Plus
At first, I was intrigued. But the more I investigated, the more I realized how underwhelming the device's functionality was in relation to its cost. It lacked meaningful interaction features and did little to support the emotional, cognitive, or communication needs I uncovered in earlier research. It did have an optional upgrade for TV remote controls, call light button, and bedside light.
This discovery became a lightbulb moment for me.
I saw an opportunity to expand this underutilized hardware concept into something far more impactful, integrated, and human-centered — a device that could improve patient independence, reduce anxiety, and support communication with the care team.
Why I Pivoted: From Call Light to Patient Experience.
This moment marked a natural shift in the project’s direction, from solely improving the call light system to reimagining the patient experience around the bedside environment.
Instead of designing a new call light, I created a multifunctional bedside interface that:
Seamlessly integrates with existing Hillrom systems
Includes a built-in call light feature
Promotes patient autonomy and entertainment
Reduces reliance on nurses for non-critical needs
Offers transparency and reassurance in communication with staff
This device became a foundational touchpoint in the med-surg experience — one that supports both patient well-being and hospital workflow.
However, I also recognized a major limitation: I had limited access to hospital-grade call light systems, which made it challenging to design meaningful improvements within those existing tools. Additionally, each hospital chooses its own device ecosystem, leading to inconsistencies in how call lights and communication systems function, and further complicating standardized UX solutions.
By expanding the scope of my project to focus on a more modular, patient-facing experience, I was able to work around these systemic limitations while still addressing key pain points I uncovered in my research.
Early Iteration of Design & Gaining Feedback.
To better communicate the Experience Pod concept, I created early wireframes to visualize key features and user flows. I then gathered feedback by:
Presenting to two of the nurses I had previously interviewed
Sharing my work with my UX design class, including students and faculty
Homepage wireframe [view caretakers, update and assess pain levels, and view patient schedule]. (left) and MyChart access (right).
Both healthcare professionals and UX peers responded enthusiastically to the concept. One nurse described it as: “This is the future of hospitals.”
The entertainment section was especially well-received, as it addressed both patient boredom and emotional well-being.
Status Page
A nurse explained that they "frequently get behind" on updating the patient room whiteboard. She explained that "this would be a great replacement."
Medical Data & MyChart Access
UX peers questioned how the device would access real-time medical data. Nurses noted that while MyChart was once accessible via iPads, it was discontinued, likely due to patients seeing sensitive test results too early.
Outcome: I decided to remove MyChart access from the prototype, as its feasibility would require input from hospital administrators and legal/compliance teams.
Entertainment wireframe [view movies, shows, books, and play games]. (left) and call light activation [activation signified via gradient border. Button use cases customizable by staff] (right).
Media Access for Entertainment
A nurse explained to me that bored staff can cause trouble [activate call light], and that this feature could help.
Students and staff asked how the device would source entertainment content. I proposed a model similar to airline entertainment systems — with content preloaded or streamed via a secure hospital network.
Digital Call Light Placement
The call light feature sparked concern. Nurses and my UX professor expressed that placing such a critical function on a digital screen could pose risks during emergencies, especially if the interface is buried or unresponsive.
Outcome: I reconsidered the priority and placement of the call light button in later iterations to improve speed, visibility, and fail-safes.
Design Feature Requests:
As part of my feedback sessions, nurses suggested several real-world improvements that would make the device more useful in their daily workflows:
Meal Ordering System
“We currently write meal orders on slips of paper that are easy to lose. This feature could really streamline the process.”
Virtual Appointments
“We sometimes use iPads for telehealth. If this device could handle video calls, it could replace the iPads entirely.”
These requests helped shape the final direction of the product to better align with actual hospital needs.
Introducing: The Hillrom Experience Pod Plus.
Inspired by the original Experience Pod, the Hillrom Experience Pod Plus is a modernized, dual-sided device designed to meet the evolving needs of both patients and staff in the MedSurg environment.
The front interface features a touch display for patient use, while the back includes familiar TV remote controls, maintaining comfort and accessibility for all user types.
Hillrom Experience Pod Plus Physical Mockup Concpet
Displays vital information at a glance — including patient vitals, assigned care team, daily schedule, anticipated discharge date, and pain level tracking.
Status Page Concept
Patients can view real-time updates, such as whether a call light has been accepted or if system-level changes occur.
Status Page Concept
A library of content including movies, games, and audiobooks keeps patients engaged and emotionally supported during recovery.
Status Page Concept
Status Page Concept
Patients receive system guidance when critical tasks arise — such as a pain update, meal order, or call light activation.
Call light activation (left), pain level update (middle), and meal order request (right). Each call-to-action will be verbally announced via a virtual voice to the patient.
Secure, integrated doctor calls allow for virtual check-ins without the need for separate devices.
Incoming staff call (left) and in call interface (right).
Reflection & Retrospective.
This capstone project was both challenging and transformative, pushing me to explore an unfamiliar and deeply complex problem space as a solo designer during my final semester at university.
What went well:
I stayed adaptable by gathering feedback from stakeholders and aligning the design with their evolving needs.
I faced and embraced a complex, hard-to-access healthcare workflow, with the goal of improving efficiency and empathy in patient care.
What didn't:
Due to time constraints and access limitations, additional ideation opportunities were left unexplored.
I lacked consistent access to real hospital environments or ecosystems, limiting testing and validation.
What to improve next time:
Select more accessible problem spaces when working independently on a short timeline.
Spend more time in early stages ideating multiple possible solutions, not just refining one.
Conclusion.
I presented the final iteration of this concept in April 2024 to my UX Learning Studio course. It was well received by peers and faculty, who praised its thoughtfulness and relevance.
That said, feasibility remains a challenge. In particular, the system would require an additional staff-facing interface to maintain and manage the patient device — something I plan to explore further in the future.
Despite the hurdles, I’m proud of what this project represents: a vision for more human-centered, intelligent inpatient care that empowers patients and supports hospital staff in equal measure.
