Inclusive Design for Health and Wellbeing

The adoption of new healthcare technologies does not always follow a straightforward path from basic scientific research to product development. Instead, it is an iterative process that aligns policy requirements and institutional structures with technological capabilities. Inclusive design plays a crucial role in this process by involving all stakeholders, especially patients, to create meaningful products and services that are both logistically optimised and ethically sound within existing healthcare practices. This course examines how design can be strategically used to integrate these factors, fostering the meaningful and inclusive adoption of new technologies.

Language of Instruction: English

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student will attain knowledge within:

• the principles and practices of inclusive design and their significance in promoting health and wellbeing
• the relationship between design, accessibility, and the physical, mental and social wellbeing of users
• key concepts such as universal design, equity-centered design and participatory design as they relate to health-focused solutions
• tools and methods for conducting user research in diverse settings, including approaches to engage users with varying needs, abilities and perspectives
• key concepts on user engagement for adherence and compliance to rehabilitation and habits for health and wellbeing.
• assessing healthcare practices and evaluate inclusivity and feasibility of products and services in these practices

Skills

The student is capable of:

• designing assistive technologies, products and/or services that prioritise inclusivity and support health and wellbeing
• conducting human-centered research to understand the needs and experiences of individuals from diverse backgrounds and abilities
• use digital design media to develop prototypes
• prototyping assistive products, or services that prioritise inclusivity and support health and wellbeing and using design sprints to test them
• applying inclusive design principles to address barriers to accessibility, usability and participation in physical and digital spaces
• using co-design and participatory methods to involve end-users directly in the design process
• evaluating and iterating design concepts based on feedback from diverse users to ensure the solutions are equitable and effective
• creating design solutions that balance functionality, aesthetics and accessibility for improved health outcomes

General Competence

The student:

• develops a deep commitment to ethical and inclusive practices in the design of health and wellbeing solutions
• demonstrates the ability to critically assess and address barriers to inclusion in design contexts
• collaborates effectively with interdisciplinary teams, stakeholders and end-users to achieve inclusive design goals
• is prepared to advocate for inclusive design approaches in professional, academic and public contexts

• emotional factors in design/psychological mechanisms in design
• participatory design and co-design
• experimentation and fieldwork
• service experience
• user behaviour
• accessibility and usability
• patient compliance and adherence
• inclusive human to human, human to product interaction
• mastery, resilience, motivation
• different forms of user engagement
• design research in practice

Lectures, demonstrations, workshops, group work.

Project description, maximum 1000 words

Oral exam that consists of presentation of a prototype, demonstration of design research and discussion.

Exam results cannot be appealed.

All resources are permitted as long as the rules for source referencing are followed. The student is required to indicate if and how AI has been used to answer the exam.

Scale A-F.

Two internal. External examiner is used periodically.