• May 19, 2025

Case Study: How Emota helped Roche create a new standard for accessible experiences

Case Study: How Emota helped Roche create a new standard for accessible experiences

Case Study: How Emota helped Roche create a new standard for accessible experiences 899 600 micebook.

At the 2024 World Federation of Haemophilia Congress, Roche worked with Emota to create an exhibition stand that redefined accessibility—going beyond physical compliance to deliver emotional inclusivity. Here’s how they did it…

The brief

The WFH Annual Congress is a globally recognised event that brings together the haemophilia community to share knowledge, discuss treatment advancements, and advocate for better patient care.

Roche, a key player in haemophilia treatment, challenged Emota to create an exhibition stand that went beyond traditional accessibility considerations, pushing into new territory in terms of both physical and emotional inclusivity.

The World Federation of Haemophilia (WFH) Congress is unique in that 70% of the audience are patients. For people with bleeding disorders, mobility can be a major issue due to internal joint bleeds causing pain and discomfort.

Additionally, visibility is a challenge, with many women and those with mild to moderate forms of haemophilia historically underdiagnosed or overlooked. Roche wanted to create an environment that made patients feel not only physically accommodated but also emotionally recognised. This meant addressing accessibility beyond compliance, integrating considerate design and empathetic storytelling to empower visitors

The Solution

Emota worked closely with Roche’s medical and advocacy teams to ensure that every element of the stand reflected real patient experiences. The team also used 3D modelling tools to test various layouts to ensure that visitors could comfortably navigate and interact with the space no matter their accessibility needs.

The inspiration for the stand was a bookstore café; a familiar, welcoming space where storytelling could take centre stage. The decision was rooted in the understanding that people connect with stories—especially when they reflect their own lived experiences. Every design decision revolved around making the space as physically, cognitively, and emotionally inclusive as possible.

This included no raised floors to ensure smooth wheelchair access, clear, wide pathways allowing easy manoeuvrability, variable-height counters and height adjustable stools for those with different mobility levels, with stools and chairs specifically sourced to accommodate varying physical needs.

Patient stories were displayed through physical books opened to specific pages, ensuring they could be read easily. Interactive iPads were mounted on swivelling stands to accommodate users at different heights or mobility restrictions. Text and visual elements were designed with multiple viewing angles in mind, ensuring everyone could engage with the content regardless of height, seating position, or visual ability.

The space was designed to feel more like a public venue than a corporate exhibition stand, reinforcing a sense of normality and comfort. Warm, natural materials were used to create an inviting rather than clinical aesthetic.

Impact & feedback

In addition to 2,440 visits to the café space, indicating a high level of engagement and comfort in the environment, Roche participated in 67 meetings with patient advocacy groups and healthcare professionals, and 95 informal on-stand conversations covering key topics such as prescription challenges, underserved patient populations, and advocacy efforts.

The stand received strong anecdotal feedback, including attendees who requested to take home the display books, showing that the storytelling approach deeply resonated.

This project established a new standard for accessible and inclusive experiences—demonstrating how inclusivity can be a core principle rather than an add-on, setting a precedent for future Roche exhibitions and events.

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