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Document Type

Book Chapter

Abstract

This thesis investigates how healthcare environments can better support patient experience through improved wayfinding, spatial clarity, and human-centered design strategies. Contemporary healthcare systems are often complex and difficult to navigate, placing additional cognitive and emotional burdens on patients, particularly those traveling from rural and underserved regions. Drawing from both professional experience in healthcare facilities planning and a comprehensive review of literature on spatial perception, wayfinding, and patient-centered care, this research identifies key challenges in how patients' access, interpret, and move through healthcare environments.

In response, the study introduces the Quilt Logic System, a conceptual framework that translates principles derived from Kentucky quilting traditions into spatial design strategies. Through themes of connection, layering, contrast, repetition, centering, and support, the framework aligns quilting logics with stages of the patient journey, including access, entry, navigation, waiting, care, and exit. This approach positions design not only as a tool for organizing space, but as a medium for shaping how patients understand and experience care environments.

The research is further developed through a practice-based artifact, a series of handcrafted quilt blocks that visualize patient journeys and spatial strategies through material and form. The front of each quilt represents structured design logic, while the reverse captures the complexity and variability of lived patient experiences. Together, these elements offer a tangible and narrative-driven method for exploring how layered systems of care can be more intuitive, legible, and supportive.

Ultimately, this work proposes that integrating cultural frameworks and human-centered design principles into healthcare environments can enhance clarity, reduce stress, and foster a more supportive patient experience. The findings contribute to ongoing conversations in healthcare design by offering an alternative lens for addressing complexity through both conceptual and material approaches.

Publication Date

Spring 5-7-2026

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