| Summary: | This study was conducted to increase the understanding of the involvement of children in the design process of the children's hospitals environment from their perspectives. It was aimed to build rich picture of the process, methods, benefits and problems associated with engaging children during the design process of children’s hospital. It also provides a set of guidelines to apply for the process of involvement, which can be applied in future design projects conducted with children. This study was conducted to increase the understanding of the involvement of children in the design process of the children's hospitals environment from their perspectives. It was aimed to build rich picture of the process, methods, benefits and problems associated with engaging children during the design process of children’s hospital. It also provides a set of guidelines to apply for the process of involvement, which can be applied in future design projects conducted with children. The research methodology employed a case study approach, including two case studies: Royal Alexandra children’s Hospital and Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. The process of identifying children’s preferences and considering them into the different stages of the design process is described. Different research techniques have been applied, including literature review and synthesis, interviews and content analysis. The contribution of this research is to address the gap identified in the literature and practice between the hospital design process and the needs of its users, i.e. children. It is intended to addresses the role of user perspective, the empowerment of the users, and the quality of the final outcome. These issues are examined from the points of view of hospital staff, designer, PFI. As a result, a better understanding of children and young people’s participation during the design process of hospital was achieved. The research has produced a set of guidelines for the process of involvement, which can be applied in future design projects to support project teams to define the process and tools for children’s participation.
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