Jan Ennis, Ennco president and founder.
For many children, a trip to the eye doctor can feel intimidating and walking into a cold, clinical space can do little to ease those nerves—or make kids want to come back. But a growing number of family practices and pediatric eyecare offices are turning that idea on its head by transforming their spaces into colorful, playful and welcoming environments designed with kids in mind. The result? A visit to the eye doctor becomes less about fear and more about fun, comfort and confidence—helping children see the eye doctor experience, and their eyecare, in a whole new way.
Ennco Display Systems (EDS), a designer and manufacturer of specialized optical displays, furnishings, and interior design services for retail optical stores and optometric practices, has been helping ECPs create inviting spaces for children for more than 40 years. The Washington-based business offers kid-friendly furnishings and display options designed to make children feel safe and comfortable.
Jan Ennis, Ennco president and founder, said one of the most important things a practice can do to appeal to children, without compromising a professional look, is to create a distinct children’s area. “Not having a separate and distinct area for children seems to be the single biggest downside for children,” Ennis said. “I had to start wearing glasses at a very young age and I dreaded it because I knew I would be marked as ‘four eyes’ for at least the remainder of elementary school.”
Dedicated children’s areas and displays are an effective way to keep kids calm and engaged at an eyecare practice. Images courtesy of Ennco Display Systems
Creating a ‘Play’ Area for Children
Having a separate area also allows children to see that they are not the only ones that might need eyewear, he noted. If a practice has the space and a large enough pediatric demographic, “it typically works well to set aside a small corner area that has a floor boundary that creates a play and interactive space for children,” Ennis advised.
Allowing children to play in an area where youth eyewear is displayed diminishes the psychological barrier to “being different” from other kids—creating visually interactive merchandising, along with a child-focused environment that can “be their own,” goes a long way toward making children comfortable with the possible change they will face with new eyewear.
Offices can adjust their layouts to enhance the experience from entry through the purchase of a pair of frames. “I am from the school of product/market focus, and as such, the best way to cater to children is to have the entire practice focus on pediatrics,” Ennis said, noting this approach also creates a targeted focus for the practice marketing. “This is true whether it is ‘in space’ visual marketing or targeted marketing in the community.”
Ennis understands the importance of space when choosing an office layout and said the majority of practices have very limited space, which can be mitigated by a child-only space in a dispensary adjacent to the waiting room. This also allows parents to keep an eye on children.
Using a small, raised boundary for the area can create a safe psychological space, while colorful displays can engage children. “Displays with themes like crayons, rainbows, blackboards or simply colorful displays hold the attention of children. If children are the typical percentage of the practice, very little space is required to display a full complement of eyewear for toddlers through tweens,” he said.
Adrienne Tollas, head concept designer at Imagination Design Studios.
Developing a Design Plan
When developing a design plan, Adrienne Tollas, head concept designer at Imagination Design Studios (IDS), a design and fabrication company that transforms medical, dental, and public spaces into custom-themed environments for children, said she likes to think of a space from the child’s point of view. Adults understand why they are at an eyecare provider, while children may feel like the space is unfamiliar and filled with equipment and procedures they don’t understand, she said.
“Good design can give them something familiar and fun to focus on instead. We try to give children something positive to focus on as soon as they enter. It changes the first impression from, ‘I am at the doctor,’ to, ‘there is something interesting here for me.’ We’re not trying to hide the fact that they’re at an eye doctor. We just want it to feel less intimidating,” she said.
Some practices are reluctant to add a children’s space because they feel they have to stick to a primary color palette, but Tollas believes this is far from reality.
“We often pull colors directly from the practice logo so the children’s elements feel integrated with the overall brand instead of looking like they were added afterward. Nature themes, underwater environments and woodland scenes work really well because kids find them fun while still being visually appealing to adults,” she said, noting that furniture should follow the same thinking.
Offices can still maintain a professional look in a children’s space by using colors that reflect branding. Image courtesy of Imagination Design Studios
Offices can combine comfortable adult seating with smaller seating or sculpted benches for children without turning the entire waiting room into a preschool. One design feature Tollas recommends is a dedicated children’s exam room that reflects the same colors, characters, graphics or elements of the story from the reception area. Seeing those same colors or characters again can make the next room feel more familiar. Instead of leaving the fun waiting room and suddenly entering a completely white clinical exam room, there is a visual connection between spaces, she pointed out.
“Inside the exam room, the design can also help redirect attention. A mural, ceiling feature or hidden objects within the artwork can give the doctor or parent something to talk about while the child is being examined,” she said.
Branding Opportunities
Photo opportunities also create a space where offices can not only create a memorable moment, but also capitalize on a branding opportunity. “Whenever we can, we like to make the décor something kids can interact with, not just look at. Photo opportunities are great. We usually design our characters with logos on their fronts or holding a branded sign. A child posing with a character gives families a positive moment to remember and provides the practice something that can become part of their social media marketing,” she said.
To make the entire patient journey a positive one, IDS recommends carrying design features throughout the rest of the space. Image courtesy of Imagination Design Studios
One or two memorable features are often more effective than an environment that feels visually overwhelming. Offices can also run the risk of creating a space that is too kid-focused. Tollas discourages designs that focus entirely on things like cartoon characters, which may be exciting for a 4-year-old but could feel childish to a 12-year-old. “We often recommend broader themes that can grow with the audience. Nature, animals, travel, adventure, and local landmarks can appeal to a very wide age range,” she said.
Children and their parents respond strongly to environments that feel intentional, according to Tollas, who believes in a thoughtful concept that connects the different rooms a patient visits, which is much better than a collection of unrelated decorations.
“I also encourage practices to think beyond the waiting room. Children may only spend a small portion of their visit there, and the exam room is where the real anxiety sets in. The hallway and exam room are equally important opportunities to make the experience more comfortable,” Tollas said. Good children’s design is not about decorating a room, it’s about using the environment to shape how a child experiences the visit. “If we can replace some of that nervousness with curiosity, distraction and excitement, the design is doing its job,” Tollas concluded.
