Evaluating Serviceability of Healthcare Servicescapes: Service Design Perspective

Seunghae Lee

The recent interest in and efforts to improve healthcare facility users’ experiences has led to design research projects that have studied the role of the environment in the healing process (Delvin, 2003). The healthcare industry now recognizes that servicescapes are important resources for the impact they can have on customers (Fottler, Ford, Roberts, & Ford, 2000). Healthcare facilities that have developed business strategies that offer patient-centered care have employed a range of research approaches such as servicescapes, design thinking, and service design. This study examines the design of ambulatory healthcare from a service design perspective. It focuses on healthcare facilities as servicescapes and builds up a conceptual framework that outlines servicescape features in healthcare facilities, perceived servicescapes, users’ emotional and physiological statuses, and attitudes towards the healthcare. An exploratory case study has been conducted for a local outpatient healthcare facility with a field survey, structured interviews, and a questionnaire survey. Based on results from the structured interviews, the questionnaire tool was developed to test the research framework. Findings from statistical analyses showed that servicescape features can be categorized into the two factors of ambient conditions and serviceability, and that these factors are related to satisfaction with the facility, perceived quality of care, and approach behavior.