Impact of Waiting Room Chair Design on Visitor Experience

Ever wonder what the #1 reason is that someone can have their entire experience at your healthcare practice turned upside down?

Is it the treatment they receive? The bedside manner of the doctor?

Nope. It's those waiting room chairs.

Every day, millions of visitors sit in waiting rooms across the country and what most healthcare organizations fail to realize is…

The type of chair you put in your waiting room can either make or break the impression your visitors will have of your entire practice.

And with 46% of patients reporting they felt their provider did not have compassion, there's no room for error when it comes to that first impression.

In This Article, You'll Learn:

• How Chair Design Impacts First Impressions
• The Psychology Behind Waiting Room Comfort
• Key Design Elements That Make All The Difference
• Statistics That Will Shock You About Visitor Experience

Let's go ahead and get right into it.

How Chair Design Impacts First Impressions

Your waiting room is often the first point of real contact between your practice and the person sitting in it.

The very second a visitor walks into your waiting room, they start forming opinions and perceptions about the quality of care they will (or will not) be receiving.

Nothing says "we don't care about you" more than uncomfortable, dated waiting room chairs.

But here's the deal…

People are already anxious and stressed when they visit healthcare facilities. They're worried about their health, stressed out about wait times, and often in physical pain.

In a study that compared a conventional waiting room and a modern waiting room in healthcare, the modern waiting rooms were rated significantly better in all of the measured dimensions. Survey participants placed value on aspects such as good quality signage, the use of armchairs and sofas, a controlled environment, and decoration.

But that's not even the juiciest part…

Architectural and interior design firm Gensler decided to study how different factors affected patient experience when designing waiting rooms. Grouping furniture in small clusters to form small seating areas resulted in a 100% increase in communication!

The Psychology Behind Waiting Room Comfort

Did you know that…

The average person will spend 21 minutes in a doctor's waiting room.

21 whole minutes where they are forming impressions about your practice, your staff, and the level of care they will be receiving.

The psychology behind this is actually pretty simple…

Happy visitors are more likely to be satisfied with their overall experience. More satisfied visitors recommend your practice to their family and friends and return for future care.

Studies have shown that well-designed waiting room seating has a positive effect on patient's feelings of wellbeing and satisfaction.

Comfortable waiting room seating also lowers the stress and anxiety levels of patients waiting in a healthcare environment.

That's why choosing the right type of waiting room seating is so important. Hard plastic chairs may look modern, but they provide very little support and are uncomfortable for visitors who need to wait for longer periods of time.

More healthcare practices are shifting to comfortable beam seating chairs that provide support, comfort, and durability for high-traffic healthcare spaces.

Key Design Elements That Make All The Difference

If you were to ask me, what makes an excellent waiting room and what makes a horrible waiting room, I would tell you…

It's not the colors on the wall. It's not fancy art. It's not even soft music.

All of these can be pleasant but it all boils down to specific design elements that can actually change how a visitor feels about their waiting room experience.

Comfort Features That Actually Matter

These three important features may not seem like much, but trust me on this. When it comes to visitors, comfort is king.

Lumbar Support: Your visitors may be struggling with back pain, pregnancy, or any number of reasons that make proper support a necessity. Chairs with built-in lumbar support provide the additional support needed to maintain the natural curve of the spine, reducing strain.

Armrests: It's not just about comfort either. Armrests provide an additional sense of privacy between people in a waiting room and can give individuals with limited mobility support to help sit down and stand up more safely.

Cushioning: When your chairs have the right amount of padding, it can help to distribute pressure evenly and prevent discomfort when waiting for extended periods of time.

Material Choices That Work

As much as you want chairs to look good in your waiting room, they also need to work.

In a waiting room, your chairs need to withstand a lot of daily wear and tear.

So when you're shopping for chairs, what you should be looking for are materials that include:

• Protected leather that is easy to clean and disinfect
• High grade fabrics that have antimicrobial properties
• Durable frames that won't wobble or break under regular usage

Configuration Options

Wait, I know you're thinking…

"How do chairs get configured? Shouldn't they all just face the reception desk?"

Wrong.

That's where most waiting rooms fall flat.

They line identical chairs in rows, all facing the reception desk.

That's a cold, institutional look and feel that immediately makes visitors feel like they are at some government office rather than somewhere they are going to be healed.

A better layout would include:

• Clustered seating to encourage family interaction.
• Mixed seating types including individual chairs as well as small sofas.
• Flexible configurations that allow the layout to be adjusted according to the needs of each day.

Statistics That Will Shock You About Visitor Experience

Are you ready for some numbers that are going to make you completely rethink your waiting room?

Check this out:

28% of people reported that they had to wait longer than they felt was acceptable to be seen for a GP appointment. That's more than 1 in 4 visitors who are already frustrated before they even sit down.

But here's the part that gets me…

Research also shows that the clinical ambulatory patient experience is strongly influenced by time spent waiting in the facility. All of the aspects measured correlated negatively with increasing wait time.

So what does this mean to you?

If they are going to be waiting no matter what, you'd better make sure they are as comfortable as possible during that wait.

The Business Impact You Can't Ignore

When you read through the whole list above, it's easy to see how patient experience impacts your bottom line.

Happy patients come back for care, refer family and friends, and leave glowing reviews.

Negative waiting room experiences lead to negative word of mouth, poor online reviews, and loss of revenue from patients who decide to never return.

Making The Right Choice

Believe me, when it comes to choosing waiting room chairs, it's not brain surgery.

But it does require you to put yourself in your visitors' shoes for a minute.

Start with the basics by asking yourself:

• Who are your typical visitors?
• How long will people have to wait on average?
• What is your budget for how long they will last?
• How much time and money can you budget for maintenance and upkeep?

Then start thinking about these things:

• Durability: Healthcare waiting rooms are hard on furniture. You need chairs that can take the daily beating.
• Hygiene: Easy to sanitize and maintain materials are a necessity.
• Accessibility: It's also important to have options for people of all abilities.

Putting It All Into Action

The way that the design of your waiting room chairs impacts visitor experience is so much more than just about comfort.

It's about the perception of your entire healthcare practice.

The fact is, when you invest in quality chairs that put visitor comfort first, you're sending a message to your visitors loud and clear: we care about you from the moment you walk in the door.

The bottom line?

Your waiting room chairs are either working for you or against you 24/7. Every person who sits in one form an opinion about the level of care they will receive.

It's no secret that waiting room chairs can leave your practice with a negative impression. And with 28% of people already starting out frustrated with wait times, you can't afford any furniture that further damages your patients' experience.