Too little Too much

Post Graduate Graphic Designer, Eden Short has been working part time at the DHW lab while also taking on her Masters in Design. Her work focusses on exploring ways communication design can be used to ease stress and anxiety in information dense Outpatient environments. Read her project abstract below:

This project explores how a design-led approach could be used to improve the heath-seeker experience within Auckland City Hospital. Whilst addressing physical wellness, hospitals overlook the high stress, anxiety and uncertainty that come with this particular environment. This research explores the concept that large amounts of unstructured information presented at one time overwhelm the health-seeker, hinders communication and creates a negative emotional toll. This research focuses on the Starship Children’s Hospital Outpatient’s department as a prototyping area for which user engagement may be facilitated to improve the patient’s understanding of information. The scope considerations all information within the environment, yet focuses primarily on wayfinding, and secondarily health campaigns and health related resources.[1] Placing the health-seeker at the centre of the design process, there is a focus on how creating emotionally supportive information environments could improve the hospital experience, such as reducing information overload, designing for affect, and enabling transparency. Through prototyping, designs can be produced to respond to real problems, test assumptions and validate need for change. 

[1] Other presentations of information cannot be ignored as they contribute to the overload of information, thus hinders communication.  

Recently, Eden put together a feedback station to gauge user feedback for the current information design in outpatient clinics:

Pharmacy Front Desk

In changing the current check-out services Auckland Hospital Pharmacy provides, a new counter is being conceptualised to support these services. Through low-fi, full scale mock ups we designated areas for prescription drop-off, prescription pick-up and general retail – this was to combat the dense amount of people queuing at one time. In order to understand how three services can function within one area, we spent an afternoon protoyping the space, moving pieces around to resolve a functional and coherent setup. The key considerations that are shaping this work: being inclusive to those in wheelchairs and mobility scooters, providing privacy for those picking up prescriptions, enabling an unobstructed flow, and selecting the ideal drop-off point which is quick and easy to access.   

Mid Semester Work Experience

Values

Currently the Lab is developing artwork to represent core values at the hospital. After an afternoon workshop, two iterations were selected to be further developed and presented back to the hospital by one of the Lab graphic designers. Through projects like these, we are learning how design might contribute to the hospital in symbolic ways as well as through practical means.

Stay tuned for how this project develops in the coming months...

Anaesthetic Cap Design

Recently, a clinician from Pharmacy at Auckland DHB approached the design lab with a pressing issue around sealing anaesthetic bottles. Current practise stores the bottles with a hose attachment to identify them as 'in use.' However the bottles drip if they are moved around.

Using rapid prototyping, a design was developed to seal the bottles quickly and easily, and exemplifies the strength of rapid prototyping low volumes. The design is currently being refined before a small batch of caps are printed for use.

Sustainable Transport

The feedback received from the Public Spaces project developed a strong theme around transport issues to and from the hospital. This work stream is being run through the performance improvement team, with support provided by the DHW lab. Take a look at this infographic developed in-house,  explaining the depth and scale of the project.