To propose a shift from generalized child-friendly design principles to age-sensitive, regulatory framing of art and visual design in pediatric healthcare environments, addressing the limitations of current approaches.
Approach:
Literature Review: Synthesized evidence from pediatric healthcare design, developmental psychology, and sensory modulation.
Empirical Observations: Conducted an immersive virtual reality evaluation using eye-tracking and physiological sensing to assess responses of different age groups to visual environments.
Key Findings:
Visual features intended to promote comfort and engagement elicit divergent regulatory responses across age groups, impacting wellness.
Younger children prefer high-salience visual stimuli, while adolescents value autonomy and may react negatively to infantilizing environments.
Current pediatric design guidelines lack differentiation of visual and sensory strategies by age group.
Interpretation:
Visual environments can support or undermine wellness depending on developmental stage, context, and cumulative sensory load, highlighting the need for tailored approaches.
Limitations:
Existing studies primarily rely on caregiver reports and structured interventions, limiting insight into children's real-time responses and experiences.
Current research does not adequately address how ongoing exposure to visual environments affects children across different developmental stages.
Conclusion:
Emphasizes the need for calibration rather than amplification of sensory input in pediatric healthcare design, advocating for age-sensitive approaches.
