Travis Tyson, principal, healthcare market leader, DesignGroup (Columbus, Ohio)
Editor’s Note: This article is part a Healthcare Design’s Industry Predictions series. Throughout January, HCD will share perspectives from respected industry voices on where the sector may head in 2026 and what challenges and opportunities are on their radar.
Travis Tyson (Headshot: Photo by Megan Leigh Barnard)
Healthcare Design’s 2026 Healthcare Design Industry Predictions series wrap up with Travis Tyson, principal, healthcare market leader, DesignGroup (Columbus, Ohio).
Here, Tyson discusses some of the opportunities and challenges he sees for 2026, including the increasing speed of project delivery to meet client expectations and AI’s impact on healthcare design.
HCD: What lessons did the industry learn from 2025’s challenges?
We understand the challenges community hospitals face with economic shifts and staff shortages seen in 2025. We also understand that the baby boomer retirement will drastically change the workforce over the next five years. These lessons showed us how to be a resilient team with the clients during times of change. Our perspective is to expect the unexpected.
Based on the staffing concerns over the past few years, the education process that exists, serving the old paradigm, isn’t prepared to train staff fast enough. We have to take that upon ourselves to be better at mentoring, educating, and offering these opportunities to elevate our young professionals.
HCD: Where do you think the healthcare design industry will head in 2026?
We see the healthcare design industry aiming to balance their review process with speed of project delivery to meet client expectations while delivering a high-quality project.
I’m impressed on both sides, the owner and the construction manager, how they continue to create proper checks and balances to efficiently address changes from kick-off through construction.
HCD: What do you see as the biggest opportunity for change in the new year?
As designers, our identity is tied to the work we create each day. With the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), there’s a concern using generative intelligence may take the meaning out of our creative work. However, we turn toward possibility and away from fear of innovation.
We can use AI to simplify designer work while giving them time back to embody their creative drives. Architectural and interior design technology has always been at the forefront of our work, and we’re ready for the innovative future ahead.
HCD: What emerging trends or opportunities are you most excited about—and why?
It’s great to see healthcare continue to advance and find specialized ways to treat patients, especially with outpatient clinical procedures and pharmaceuticals. This shows a trend toward more specialized facilities with patient well-being at the forefront of the design.
Such facilities require acute attention to detail, collaboration, and great partnerships to bring the project to fruition. We can hardly contain the anticipation we feel for where the healthcare industry is trending toward in 2026.
Anne DiNardo is editor-in-chief of Healthcare Design and can be reached at [email protected].
