VIRTUAL: Applying Education
Abstract
In the Summer of 2021 the Health Design Lab at Emily Carr University, in collaboration with BC Mental Health & Substance Use Services (BCMHSUS), brought together a small team of Design students with individuals who have lived experience of mental health challenges, substance use and the criminal justice system. The project was the continuation of a faculty-led initiative to provide students with experiential learning opportunities that engage with “wicked” social challenges and position Design education as a community resource (Hannan, Raber and Peterson 2022). The project focused on the creation of educational and staff-orientated videos, through a participatory and trauma-informed approach to co-design and storytelling (SAMHSA 2014), that explored the stigma faced by people engaging with the services at BCMHSUS. BCMHSUS provide care to individuals with complex and persistent mental health and substance use needs in British Columbia, whilst also championing health promotion and literacy, and knowledge experience in the province (BC Mental Health & Substance User 2022). Guided by the experts in the area of mental health and substance use and Design faculty, students and participants engaged in a series of storytelling sessions that captured the often challenging experiences of the participants. The students simultaneously engaged in a consultative cycle of mapping, visualising and presenting the results of each session back to the team through illustration and graphic design methods. The participants’ personal experiences of facing these stigmas were then translated by the students into animated videos that are currently in use for staff education and training at BCMHSUS.
Jon is Associate Professor of Communication Design and Assistant Dean of Design at Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Vancouver, Canada. Previously, he has held the positions of Senior Lecturer of Graphic Design at Manchester School of Art and Lecturer of Fashion Communication and Promotion at Nottingham Trent University. Focusing on community-centered co-design, Jon’s research has been featured in international design publications, journals and online platforms such as the Design for Health journal, IdN, Computer Arts, the Guardian and CNN.
Caylee is the Director of the Health Design Lab at Emily Carr University. The Health Design Lab is a research centre that applies design thinking to healthcare, using human-centred design research methodologies to address complex problems. Caylee’s practice focuses on the application of her interdisciplinary design skillset and experience with generative human-centred research methods to the health and education sectors. As a designer and healthcare consultant, Caylee was involved in operations and transition planning in major hospital redevelopment projects in the US and Canada.
Nadia Beyzaei is a designer and researcher working in the spaces of health and community engagement. Nadia is the Coordinator of the Health Design Lab at Emily Carr University and an instructor in the Faculty of Design + Dynamic Media. Through her role at the Health Design Lab, Nadia has been a communication designer and design researcher on Indigenous health, ageing, and complex care projects, while supporting the dissemination of research both locally and internationally. Nadia holds a MRes in Healthcare + Design from the Royal College of Art, with her thesis focusing on how design can enhance engagement in evidence-based medicine.