From Concept to Clarity: The Significance of Optical Design

When was the last time you took a look at your practice from a patient’s perspective? Do you often enter your office through the back or side entrance? If I was a patient walking into your practice today for the first time, what would be my first impression? Would I have a sense of what your vision, values, and mission are? Would I be excited to walk in, and would the service you provide match that outward experience?

While we pride ourselves on being great clinicians, we have to remember that we are also running a business. Our outward appearance can often set the tone for the patient’s experience. Think back to some experiences you have had with new doctors, dentists, and other medical specialists. What was your first impression when you entered their office or waiting room? Was it clean or cluttered? Was there a fresh scent or the lingering smell of a staff member’s lunch? Was it a quiet, peaceful environment, or was the front desk chatter a distraction?

What Design Elements Are Important to You?
While creating my vision for Look New Canaan, design and appearance were extremely important to me. We are located in a retail space. Our entire optical is floor to ceiling windows on a busy, walkable street. Design was a cornerstone of my business plan, both from an outward appearance and from a clinical flow perspective.

I was fortunate to find a space with some great features that were high on my “must have” list. Our beautiful windows, soaring high ceilings, and stone and metal accents shaped my design plans. I enlisted the help of a local design firm, Gibson and Shaffer Design, to help bring my vision to life. We set out to create a space that was warm, inviting, and encouraged people to come in and browse. I didn’t want customers to feel that they needed an appointment to come in. Rather, I wanted to create a boutique-like environment, where anyone walking down the street felt welcome to take a look through our optical.

One of my key visions of Look New Canaan was being part of the community. New Canaan is well known for its mid-century modern architecture. The Glass House, a historic house museum designed by architect Phillip Johnson, is known for its innovative use of material integration into nature. We decided to integrate that mid-century modern style into our design through uses of colors, furniture, and fixtures. There is no better compliment to me than when guests immediately identify our style.

Rethink the Front Desk
Another highlight of the Look New Canaan design was the elimination of our front desk. Yes, you read that right — there is NO front desk in my practice. We had already decided to have all of our phones in the back office, and we are a completely paperless office. Almost 100% of patient communication is done through texting, so when we set out to design our front desk, our thought was, “What would a front desk person actually do?” 

We decided that at Look, EVERYONE is the front desk representative. Our whole team is responsible for greeting and welcoming clients to our studio. Each of my team members uses a laptop, so they are free to work wherever they need to throughout the office. There is at least one to two team members at a time working from the optical, so they are immediately available to greet and direct our patients. We take very few vision care plans, and we have that information confirmed and authorizations pulled before the patient arrives. My technician brings patients back to pretest immediately and does the patient history in the consult rooms. My optician does all checkout and payment collecting in the optical (a great way to sell glasses, sunglasses, and backup specs!). While this setup will not work for everyone, in our high-end, retail boutique, it has been a great way to encourage walk-in buyers who may feel intimidated by a front desk. We spent a great deal of time on staff training, making sure everyone was well versed on their duties to make this plan a success. The best part? The number of patients who tell me it is a breath of fresh air and extremely welcoming!

A Fresh Take on the Traditional Eye Care Office
The aesthetics of my practice were also very important. I wanted to project a high-end appearance that was different from most practices. We did no custom cabinetry or traditional optical furniture, and instead we used freestanding bookcases, media consoles, and desks in the optical and consult rooms. The verdict? Patients have commented on the beautiful open design and how different it looks than a typical office, which is exactly what I was going for.

While you may not be cold starting a practice, it is always a great exercise to take a cold, hard look at your practice appearance and see if it reflects your vision. If it doesn’t, a fresh coat of paint, an optical refresh, and some decluttering can work wonders. The added benefit? We often see a bump in our revenue when we update our practices. Many practitioners feel tethered to custom cabinetry and traditional optical furniture because that is the way it has always been done. I encourage you to break from the mold and look for design inspiration outside of the optical industry. Take a risk and reap the benefits — and feel inspired going to work every day in a beautiful space.