Positive distractions play a critical role in pediatric care — giving young patients moments of play and imagination during stressful visits. At Carilion Children's Tanglewood Center in Roanoke, VA, these moments needed to be woven into the waiting room experience in a way that felt genuinely inclusive, calming, and joyful without being overstimulating.
The team was asked to create an interactive digital art installation that reflected the organization's values of hope, strength, and equity — and that would work for children across a wide range of ages, abilities, and conditions.
A butterfly — already a meaningful symbol in Carilion Children's organizational identity — became the creative anchor. The resulting installation, Social Butterflies, invites children to design their own butterfly using a touchscreen kiosk or their personal mobile phone by scanning a QR code. Children choose from varying levels of complexity, making the experience accessible to a wide range of ages and abilities.
Spanning six portrait displays arranged as a continuous digital canvas, the butterflies created by patients fly through a shared landscape — joining a growing community of designs made by other children. The installation is inclusive and intuitive by design: approachable for first-time users, gently engaging without pressure, and rewarding for those who want to explore further. It encourages creativity and social connection without requiring any prior experience or sustained attention.
Social Butterflies delivers exactly what the brief asked for — a positive distraction that reduces perceived wait times, encourages creativity, and creates moments of calm and genuine connection for pediatric patients and their families. The butterfly metaphor carries real emotional weight in this context, and the installation honors it without being heavy-handed.
The dual-input model (kiosk and mobile) ensures that children who are physically limited or prefer to stay seated can still participate fully. The shared display wall means every child's creation becomes part of a larger collective artwork — reinforcing themes of community and belonging that are central to Carilion Children's mission.
