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The Caregiving Journey: Arts-Based Methods as Tools for Participatory Co-Design of Health Technologies

Author

Listed:
  • Evonne Miller

    (QUT Design Lab, Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice, School of Design, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia)

  • Oksana Zelenko

    (Independent Researcher, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia)

Abstract

Being an informal caregiver to a loved one with an illness, disease, or chronic disability is a rewarding but frequently stressful experience. In this design research project, caregivers participated in a half-day workshop to (1) share their caregiving experience, (2) reflect on the potential of a mobile smartphone ‘app’ for carers and (3) co-design this app, as well as in-depth interviews. Our design research process used multiple arts-based methods, including visual experience mapping tools, storytelling, photo-elicitation, documentary photography, cartoons, drawing, and research poetry, to provide rich and empathic insight into daily life as a caregiver and illuminate the potential of technology. Workshop activities included creating a visual collage of lived experience, annotated visual maps illustrating the reality and misconceptions of caregiving, pathways of care, and mapping a day in their life using the visual metaphor of a clock. Carers then trialled and provided feedback on a prototype app, creating a collective map of desired features. This co-design feedback informed the final app design, which was formally launched at a public exhibition showcasing stories collected from our arts and design-led processes. This paper outlines the value of arts and design methods in the design of future health technologies, which provide a critical space for an informed, reflexive, and empathic dialogue about illness and caregiving, resulting in designs that truly met consumer’s needs.

Suggested Citation

  • Evonne Miller & Oksana Zelenko, 2022. "The Caregiving Journey: Arts-Based Methods as Tools for Participatory Co-Design of Health Technologies," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-15, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:11:y:2022:i:9:p:396-:d:904585
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Evonne Miller, 2023. "Drawing Ageing: Using Participant-Generated Drawing to Explore Older Australians Expectations and Experiences of Ageing in a Retirement Village," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-16, January.
    2. Baoyi Zhang, 2024. "Research progress and intellectual structure of design for digital equity (DDE): A bibliometric analysis based on citespace," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-18, December.

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