HGA has received two 2023 Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) Certificate of Research Excellence (CORE) recognitions, acknowledging the firm’s commitment to practice-based research. The certification is the design industry’s highest honor that evaluates research rigor and impact. Led by an interdisciplinary HGA team in partnership with the clients, the two research studies include:
A Welcoming & Confident Visitor Experience: Case Study of an Art Center
As perceptions of the museum-going experience continue to evolve, Walker Art Center sought to better understand visitors’ needs by asking: “What is it like to move through the space in relation to accessibility, sensory experiences, wayfinding, and signage? What is the perceived value of a first experience at the Walker?”
To answer these questions, Walker and HGA undertook a mixed-method research study using a GPS app to understand visitors’ travel patterns through the museum and digital ethnography to record their thoughts, emotions, and perspectives. The data-driven study helped identify attributes influencing a first-time visitors’ experience to inform process, place, technology, and cultural solutions—and ultimately create a more welcoming experience.
By integrating real-time research tools, Walker Art Center gained verifiable resources to build on the data as part of its ongoing community engagement efforts.
“As a museumgoer, I can personally relate to this research and the positive impacts these implications would have on my museum-going experience,” noted a CORE reviewer. “A few times I wanted to remark, ‘finally, someone cares about that! I am not alone!’”
Credits
Award: Certificate of Research Excellence – Merit
Client: Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
HGA Team: Mahshid Jalalian, Adaheid Mestad, David Goldstein, Joan Soranno, John Cook, Marc L’Italien, Aaron Kapphahn, Naz Bilgic, Oshana Reich, Tom Reed, Rich Firkins
Evaluation of User Efficiencies and Experience Related to Universal Design of Orthopedic Ambulatory Surgical Centers
This research study evaluated staff efficiencies and satisfaction of two orthopedic surgery centers with different layouts. The goal was to understand if one layout provides more efficiency and satisfaction compared to the other.
Using a mixed-method approach that included nurse shadowing and staff and patient questionnaires, the team studied the two facilities 55 miles apart within the same healthcare system. The first site was an existing day surgery center at the main hospital featuring a traditional layout with separate areas for pre-operative area (pre-op), post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), and post operative area (post-op) on different floors. The second site was a new freestanding Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) employing the universal care platform, where pre-op and post-op areas are combined with an adjacent PACU area.
By analyzing collected data, the client and research team gained deeper understanding of the pluses/minuses of both care models. The results of the study will be published in the peer-reviewed Health Environments Research & Design (HERD) journal this year.
The reviewers lauded the research, noting that “the relevant findings can inform any future projects” and system-wide strategic planning.
Credits
Award: Certificate of Research Excellence
Client: Bellin Health, Green Bay, Wisconsin
HGA Team: Mahshid Jalalian, Tanya Chadha, Oshana Reich, Danya Hakky, Andrew Zimmer, Jennifer Macdonald, Kara Freihoefer
About EDRA CORE
The Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) Certificate of Research Excellence (CORE) is a professional certification that recognizes practice-based environmental design research studies. The CORE reviewers included professionals across architecture, design, academia, and related industries.
HGA recently won the CORE recognition for a manufacturing plant study and workplace study in 2022 and SSM Health Dean Medical Group in 2021.
For more information, visit EDRA CORE.