Building A Strong Brand Experience: Quest Diagnostics

When customers say they want a clean and efficient experience, it’s easy to miss delivering on other human needs like feeling cared for, supported and informed. No one can fault Quest Diagnostics for focusing on the former when it came to designing their Patient Service Centers (PSC), but Monigle and Quest’s brand and experience teams saw an opportunity.

The former space and experience of Quest Diagnostics Patient Service Center (PSC)

Learn More: Enabling a Consistent Brand Experience

As consumers are increasingly empowered to make health care choices, along with the agreement between Quest Diagnostics and United Healthcare that opened up access to millions of Americans, there was a huge opportunity to put a more human lens on what was a sterile PSC experience. The goal was to fuse brand, experience and function together in a way that differentiated Quest from competitors and informed patients about the crucial role Quest plays in their broader health care journeys.

By conducting ethnographic research and reviewing patient feedback, we saw that competing design cues were leading to confusion and slowing people down during the check-in process. Simply put, when there’s a window with a hole cut in it with a desk behind it – people expect there to be someone to talk to. It’s so compelling, they miss the kiosk that says check-in here.

Former check-in of Quest Diagnostics Patient Service Center (PSC)

We also learned that typically the patient doesn’t really know much about Quest. They’re usually there because their doctor told them to go there and they don’t understand much more than a phlebotomist is going to collect some samples and at some point, they’ll get their results. In this context, the entire brand experience is dependent on the phlebotomists. These folks are amazing at what they do, but they’re also stretched incredibly thin—they needed an environment that offered some support.

With an understanding of all the key touchpoints in the patient journey at a PSC, we set out to develop a kit of parts to humanize the experience, making it more intuitive and informative.

Learn More: Leading with Brand Part 1

We started by creating a streamlined and digestible information hierarchy that begins with making their locations easy to find—owning the green color signal, while also communicating a purpose to clearly position Quest at the exterior.

First step of redefining the brand experience – owning the Green for Quest Diagnostics PSCs

Inside, we removed the clutter and confusing cues (the window) and made it clear that signing in at the kiosk was the first step. To overcome the absence of a window, we added a sidelight to the door into the back of the house so patients could feel connected to what was beyond the lobby.

Most importantly, we started to tell the story of Quest through its people and their various areas of expertise. The “our stories” vignettes and draw-room infographics highlight how Quest is an important partner in health care with scientists, physicians and logistics professionals all working together to help people and their doctors be better informed about their health.

Clarifying the Experience: new check-in Kiosks in Quest Diagnostics PSCs

Bringing the story to life: green and story-telling vignettes throughout the refined PSC

Bringing the story to life: green and story-telling vignettes throughout the refined PSC

Bringing the story to life: introducing the people of Quest Diagnostics connects the human experience

Bringing the story to life: informative graphics help inform and bring the story to life for patients

This exercise shows how a flexible set of relatively inexpensive components can make an immediate and visceral impact on how people experience the space and the brand.

How does your brand come to life in a physical environment? We would love the chance to talk and hear different perspectives. Reach out to us for more examples of our brand experience work or to continue the conversation.