Case Study
2025
Mayo Clinic
Walking Art Tour App · Healthcare Experience Design
A 10-week project designing a calming, accessible AR experience that promotes emotional well-being through art in clinical spaces.
Overview
Role
UX & Research Lead
Duration
10 weeks
Team
18 designers, 5 disciplines
Tools
Figma, FigJam, Miro, Rotato
As UX & Research Lead, I shaped a user-centred platform for patients, visitors, and staff — with a focus on empathy, inclusivity, and ease of use.
Problem
How might we create a calming phygital experience that integrates art and wellness to emotionally support patients, visitors, and staff during high-stress moments at Mayo Clinic?
Emotional Vulnerability
Healthcare settings are already stressful — any digital experience must feel supportive, not demanding.
Art as Invisible Opportunity
Mayo's rich art collection goes unnoticed; no mechanism existed to connect it to people's emotional state.
Accessibility & Inclusivity
Patients, visitors, and staff have different needs and constraints — the experience had to work for everyone without friction.
Research
Mixed-methods research — 13 interviews, 100+ surveys, and on-site fieldwork at Mayo Clinic.
70%
Of patients report improved mood when exposed to art in healthcare
69%
Experience reduced anxiety through art in clinical environments
13
In-depth interviews across patient, visitor and staff user types
600+
Research insights synthesised into actionable design opportunities
Integrating Arts into Healthcare
Improved
Overall Mood
Reduced
Depression
Symptoms
Reduced
Anxiety
Reduced
Stress
Reduced
Pain
User Groups
Framework
8 Petals of Phygital Healing
Integrating art, healthcare, technology, and inclusivity at Mayo Clinic creates a holistic healing environment for all users.
Holistic Healing
Art reduces anxiety and fosters a positive atmosphere for all.
Improved Outcomes
Data-driven insights refine art programs, benefiting patient health.
Engagement
AR and VR empower patients and engage visitors interactively.
Multi-Sensory Experience
Engaging multiple senses promotes relaxation for everyone.
Accessibility
Inclusive installations ensure all users can participate.
Cultural Sensitivity
Diverse expressions ensure all individuals feel represented.
Community Connection
Collaborative art fosters social bonds and reduces isolation.
User-Centric Design
Prioritising users to deliver seamless, impactful experiences.
Ideation
Journey mapping revealed emotional patterns and optimal moments for low-pressure, supportive features — art prompts and guided mindfulness during transitions and waits.
Arrival
Anxious
Navigating an unfamiliar clinical space under time pressure.
01Waiting
Stressed
Extended wait amplifies anxiety.
02Transition
Uncertain
A key opportunity for a gentle pause.
03Engagement
Curious
Art prompt — low effort, high emotional reward.
04Reflection
Calm
User feels seen and supported.
05Solution
A calm, phygital ecosystem blending art, technology, and wellness. Each feature is optional, low-effort, and adaptive to users' needs.
Curated art tours that turn passive moments into opportunities for calm and reflection. Designed to be gentle, and embedded within clinical journeys.
A community-driven feature that allows people to share notes of reflection without social pressure. Fosters quiet connection and emotional support.
Based on people’s favourite art piece called Ponders Bell, this virtual garden is meant for quiet reflection where users can read others’ notes, share, and pin their favourite messages.
Short guided mindfulness experiences designed for emotional support and stress relief during moments of waiting or transition. These are brief, optional, and accessible — offering calm without disrupting care routines.
A gateway for all humanities and art-related activities in the hospital, allowing people to have a sense of community during tough times.
Using AR to create accessible navigation systems within the hospital, with options for voice-based inputs, colour contrast settings, and other inclusive customisations.
Testing
Two structured teams ran parallel testing sessions — note-takers, timekeepers, and presenters — for consistent, comprehensive feedback collection.
Focus Group Feedback
Feature Hierarchy
Art Tours must be the core — all other features are secondary.
Feature Intentionality
Every feature must reflect Mayo's patient-first mission.
Artwork Specification
Artist and artwork info matters for the clinic's curation values.
70%
Reduction in perceived stress during waiting and transition moments
25%
Reduction in usability barriers through simplified, inclusive interactions
40%
Increase in art engagement through AR and digital touchpoints
82%
Of users completed core tasks independently without guidance
Find a piece of art nearby and learn about it.
Evaluate AR navigation clarity and art discovery flow.
28 seconds
Users hesitated before initiating the AR mode — unclear entry point.
Added a persistent, contextual prompt with a visual cue at the scan entry.
Complete a short breathing exercise before your appointment.
Test discoverability and ease of guided mindfulness interactions.
22 seconds
Users didn't realise mindfulness prompts were time-sensitive and dismissible.
Introduced a soft countdown indicator and 'skip anytime' micro-copy.
Save an artwork to revisit later.
Assess clarity of save/bookmark functionality within the art view.
31 seconds
Save icon was confused with share — similar visual weight and placement.
Separated actions visually, added labels on first use, introduced haptic confirmation.
Navigate to the nearest art installation from the waiting room.
Evaluate wayfinding and spatial map usability in a clinical context.
35 seconds
Map orientation confused users — north-up default didn't match physical space.
Defaulted to heading-up orientation with a one-tap reset to north.
Learnings
things that I learnt
AI-enabled, context-aware systems can personalise emotional support in real time — from static interfaces to responsive environments.
AR-assisted navigation can scale emotional support across complex clinical spaces without disrupting care journeys.
Leading 18 designers across 5 disciplines reinforced that great facilitation is itself design work.
— Sneha ✦