The Faces of
Planned Parenthood

Elevating the Health Care Experience
for Everyone

A great health care experience shouldn’t be a luxury. It should be available to everyone, regardless of who they are, where they live, how much money they make, or whether they have insurance. It’s not just about empowering patients, it’s about improving their health throughout their lives.

After nearly a year of research, in-depth interviews and prototypes, together Planned Parenthood and IDEO developed a series of innovative concepts that meet the needs of Planned Parenthood patients in this changing health care landscape.

Our patients drive our motivation to innovate.

These are their stories — and the opportunities to reimagine the care we provide them.

Projects in Progress

Concept 01
One in five women in the U.S. has visited a Planned Parenthood health center at least once in her life for a wide range of services.

I don’t like the situation we’re in — or walking through protesters to get here — but already I feel like we’re in good hands.

Welcoming Waiting Areas

Traditional waiting rooms are being transformed to help each patient feel supported and empowered as soon as they walk in the door. More about The Hub

The Hub

Insight: Patient waiting areas — the setting, the tone, the activities available to patients and the friends or family who come with them — can have a big impact on patients’ overall experience. With that in mind, Planned Parenthood’s newly designed waiting rooms offer different types of environments for different needs.

Innovation: The Hub is a waiting area with zones that address different emotional and educational needs. A knowledgeable guide welcomes every patient in a greeting area, and a nearby display describes a full menu of services. While patients wait, they can retreat to a quiet nesting space for reflection and decision-making, or spend time with friends and family in a social, kid-friendly common area. And those who want to support Planned Parenthood’s mission can learn about health and advocacy information if they want to get involved.

The modular system, a toolkit designed to adapt to any existing Planned Parenthood health center, unifies the experience of approximately 700 Planned Parenthood locations while adapting to individual buildings, budgets, and community needs.

Concept 02

I know what’s right for my family
and I know it’s not the right time
for another child.

Restorative Recovery Rooms

The decision to have an abortion is personal, and it’s a decision that should be respected. At Planned Parenthood, a woman who decides to end her pregnancy is supported every step of the way by expert and compassionate health care providers, and given the opportunity to rest in a quiet, comfortable area. More about Recovery Area

Recovery Area

Insight: For patients in the recovery space, small thoughtful details have a magnified positive impact.

Innovation: Recovery areas are separated into private spaces, accommodating loved ones who want to join patients after a procedure. Soothing colors and soft, warm fabrics create a comforting environment, and each woman can reflect and share her own experience or read notes of support from other patients in an open journal of personal stories. A take-home kit provides clear information about what to expect during recovery as well as useful supplies and recommendations for follow-up care.

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Concept 03

It’s important to make every person who walks in that door feel welcome, and take good care of them.

Unifying Employees

Planned Parenthood’s dedicated workforce cares passionately about helping people lead healthier lives. To help them succeed, the organization helps staff members gain the skills and support they need to grow into new roles and responsibilities. More about In This Together

In This Together

Insight: To ensure quality and consistency at every location nationwide, Planned Parenthood is unifying staff around the mission and providing them with the tools, training, and support they need to do their best work.

Innovation: In This Together is a comprehensive employee engagement training program based on a clearly defined set of workplace values and service standards. Articulating these common goals brings together Planned Parenthood employees nationwide onto a single team, working together to provide top-notch experiences at every location.

The program prepares staff to work effectively with a vastly diverse community of patients, clients, and supporters, reduce stigma around health care choices, and empower patients to take control of their care. Learning to give and receive feedback and use every experience as an opportunity to continually improve is integral to the program, as is rewarding and celebrating success.

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Our Vision for the Future

Concept 04
Planned Parenthood provides family planning counseling and contraception to 2.1 million people each year.

We learned so much.

Educational App

A digital tool that helps patients understand all their options and gives them easy prompts to communicate with clinicians, so they can make informed choices about their own health. More about Visit Companion

Visit Companion

Insight: Patients need access to reliable, evidence-based information. While they wait to see a clinician — or even before arriving at the office — they can use that time to learn about their options.

Innovation: The Visit Companion app is a series of digital tools in prototype that’s designed to help patients learn about their birth control and abortion procedure choices, and to create personalized health care plans with their clinicians.

Before a visit, patients can learn the answers to commonly asked questions related to their appointment, and see side-by-side comparisons of their options. The app describes symptoms and side effects with commonly used language and symbols, and provides a record of what was discussed during the visit, with reminders for follow-up appointments.

Concept 05
Planned Parenthood provides nearly 4.5 million tests and treatments for STDs, including HIV, for men and women each year.

I took the tests and got the treatment I needed. And the whole time,
no lectures, no judgment.

Simplified Medical Forms

For the millions of people who rely on Planned Parenthood for confidential STD testing and treatment, Planned Parenthood sees the opportunity to make appointments more convenient with an easy-to-understand, intuitive digital form written in simple, conversational language. More about Friendly Forms

Friendly Forms

Insight: By making medical forms easier to use, Planned Parenthood clinicians can learn more about patients while shortening a traditionally time-consuming and tedious process.

Innovation: Friendly Forms is an interactive digital questionnaire in prototyping stages that was designed by replicating how Planned Parenthood clinicians speak to their patients. The forms use easy-to-understand language, and adapt as patients answer questions, giving only the prompts that are relevant to them. Patients will be able to complete Friendly Forms anytime before their appointment, which means they’ll be more motivated to complete the forms accurately.

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Concept 06
Planned Parenthood provides 865,000 breast cancer screenings and Pap tests each year.

First time I came in,
my mom brought me.

Holistic Women’s Health Care

Planned Parenthood’s extensive network of health centers across the country can serve as the principal resource for all aspects of women’s health care. More about Well Woman Plus

Well Woman Plus

Insight: Women who rely on Planned Parenthood for their sexual and reproductive health care can benefit from having those trusted clinicians create a roadmap of preventive health screenings to use throughout their lifetime.

Innovation: A woman’s wellness isn’t defined by a breast exam and pap test alone. When the Well Woman Plus program is integrated throughout the Planned Parenthood network, women will be connected to trusted providers for care other than physical exams and birth control consultation. Clinicians will use interactive digital and physical tools to map out lifelong health care milestones and help patients think proactively about their future, from family planning to preventive screenings.

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