Working with people in this sector who share my commitment and passion for this is also a huge source of joy, excitement, and energy. I believe more than ever that design has huge potential to help us re-imagine how we organise and run health and social care.
This is why I enthusiastically agreed when a few months ago Edinburgh University invited me to design and lead the 'Foundations of Design for Care in the Digital Age’ module at the Usher Institute, which is the university’s school of medicine.
It has been a great opportunity to reflect on what I have learnt about understanding humans and designing services over the last decade. To share what continues to inspire and drive me. And to highlight the impressive work some of my colleagues are doing, who I look up to even more now.
The module is part of the new MSc in Digital Transformation in Health and Social Care - a senior leadership programme run jointly by the university and NHS Scotland. It was set up to develop a new generation of leaders who can drive, deliver, and embed digital transformation across Scotland's health and care services.
I was delighted to hear that design skills are seen as an integral part of this. And it was also a big ask to live up to. What do I need future leaders to know about design mindsets, tools, and methods? Where are the current challenges, and what opportunities can we build on? And how do I fit all of this into a five-week module?
With the experienced support of Edinburgh University colleagues, I set out to define learning outcomes, a course structure, assessment, and key readings – as well as write and record content.
So what better way to do this than bring along colleagues to show some of their fantastic work, talk about their biggest challenges, and how they tackle these? I have been genuinely impressed with the breadth and depth of work they showed, and the passion and insight they presented it with.
Expert guest sessions included work from all phases of the design process, and covered user research, interaction design, content design, and service design. The work ranged from protecting wellbeing in police custody, to understanding cancer charity donations, to building safeguarding into digital services, to improving safety and health outcomes after heart surgery.
Judging by the fantastic attendance and engagement, the course’s students have felt the same. I really enjoyed the considered questions and lively discussion, both during the session and on the university’s learning platform after. I was glad to see some breakthrough moments. They demonstrated real understanding, interest, and open mindedness.
And the shared purpose I relate to so strongly – working towards a better future for health and social care in Scotland.
Find out more about Edinburgh University’s MSc in Digital Transformation in Health and Social Care.
David Jaramillo – user research. Sense Distress: Protecting Wellbeing and Privacy in Police Custody.
Ariadne Cass-Maran – content design. This'll be easy, right? Co-designing an inclusive language guide.
Lucia Rodriguez – service design. What is data? Validating previous research to address user needs.
Vanessa Lang – service design. A heart to heart: Connecting academia, healthcare and industry using collaborative insights.
Craig Lang – interaction design. Everyone Matters: Using empathetic storytelling to engage with stakeholders and build safeguarding measures.
Tom Norman – service design. Walking a safeguarding tightrope: Developing a safe digital communication channel for Children's Service Workers to engage with young people.
Josie Linsel – content design. Focus on the user: Navigating barriers to provide what users need.
Laurel Gattenby – interaction design. How to be a good stakeholder: Stories from tech projects.
Maja Bimpson – interaction design. The power of iterative design: What happens when requirements are met but the product isn't working for users - and how to fix it.
Juliet Kampasi, Ariadne Cass-Maran, Craig Lang, & Cath Hoult: Pecha Kucha, brief introduction to service design, user research, interaction design, and content design.
It has been a great opportunity to reflect on what I have learnt about understanding humans and designing services over the last decade. To share what continues to inspire and drive me. And to highlight the impressive work some of my colleagues are doing – who I look up to even more now
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