Hello Teena
Thank you for sharing details regarding your research. I was wondering if
you might be willing to send me your direct contact email, in the hopes of
establishing a more in-depth conversation regarding our similar interests.
My background has been in apparel design, where I spent twenty years in the
field before pursuing a masters degree- however, I wanted to expand my
knowledge base, and decided to explore what new platforms might be open
through apparel as part of a MFA in Innovation Studies/Applied Design
Research.
The base of my work has been in sustainable design, but my personal
interests lie in exploring how wearable technology might be used in the
healthcare context, in particular, how it might be a tool to assist
children dealing with chronic illness.
As I started my research, I soon realized that I was assuming a lot of
things regarding the final product (acting like a designer), and then hit
the reset button instead using Grounded Theory, whereby the data itself
indicates how the final solution should look and work. In essence- I was
assuming that the final product should be some new biomedical wearable
tech, but in fact it might be a whole array of products or service that
this patient population needs/desires.
My research then shifted focus to instead develop new methods of
communicating with child/patients in ways that would allow them to
contribute to the development of new treatments or technologies, (such as
through the use of arts-based methodologies that are often employed in
child psychology).
I have been working with Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth,
specifically with the Child Life division and their pediatric diabetes
patients. This division deals with long term care, and incorporates both a
social worker and on staff medical professional, as part of the team
including parents and caregivers for each patient.
Because long-term ethnographies are difficult to operate with this social
network, I developed a more rapid format for the ethnographic assessment,
utilizing a workbook styled like a child's coloring book, and stickers for
the patients to use as conversational prompts. The goal was to allow the
patients a way to connect with some of the questions regarding health and
wellbeing, in addition to gaining insights to what they like or what they
might be most receptive to with regards to new technologies (such as
wearables).
So, I delved into child psychology and sociology, in particular looking at
cognitive development. Based on the work of Jean Piaget and Anna Freud, I
targeted a patient population between the ages of 8-10, when they had
achieved "concrete organizational" development. This means that they would
be just starting to express their independence, and an ability to take on
more ownership of their health status.
I then looked to cognitive psychologists Rawley Silver and Martin Krampen,
who indicated using arts based therapies might be a means to help
facilitate conversation with children and overcome of the classic barriers
to research (such as unequal power relationships).
From their work, I began developing versions of a new interview toolkit to
use as part of rapid ethnographic assessment, similar to a coloring book
and stickers, based on Otto Neurath's Isotypes.
The research team has been very receptive to my potential contributions to
their field and informing better communication between patients,
caregivers, and providers, however, I have not had as much success in
getting nurses or
clinicians to allow me to partner with them, partially because I am often
competing for both their time and their patients with other larger research
institutions.
It sounds like you are working with a very established team, which
certainly helps to lend credibility to the work. I was wondering if you
might elaborate on how you made the leap from design to research in
professional practice?
Thank you for your feedback and insights
regards,
Barbara Trippeer
On Wed, Jan 6, 2016 at 6:48 AM, Teena Clerke <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> H Barbara,
>
> so nice to hear from you and sorry not to get back to you sooner, but I
> have been head down in analysis these past few days. Your work with
> children and co-design sounds really interesting!
>
> My health research has been investigating an innovative primary health
> care reform initiative within a multi-disciplinary team and the current
> work is in partnership with Nick Hopwood, who received a grant to
> investigate relational agency between child and family health practitioners
> and the parents they work with. This is a three year project, and we are
> doing ethnography and interviews, using CHAT as an analytical frame and
> looking at how parents learn skills and resilience that improve their
> children’s lives in the long-term. For this project, we are working with
> different CFH organisations, contacts for which came about partially
> through the Health Faculty at one of the universities I work in, UTS, and
> partially through Nick’s contacts with the developers of the Family
> Partnership Model, which is mandatory training for NSW CFH nurses. It
> builds on a previous research project we did in 2010–2012.
>
> In both cases, I would argue this is practice-based or practice-focused
> research, although not design practice, but nursing practices. The
> theoretical framing for the first project was practice theory. My
> involvement in both projects came about through my postgraduate studies in
> adult education, then PhD in education and design. So it is not design
> research, although my design skills are immensely helpful, as anyone who
> has read Michael Taussig’s book will understand. Please also have a look at
> our book, ref below.
>
> My experience is that designers are very welcome as research partners in
> the health field, particularly if you work with nurses. I have not worked
> with doctors!
>
> I’m afraid this probably won't help much, but I wish you all the best,
> cheers, teena
>
> Clerke, T. & Hopwood, N. 2014, Doing ethnography in teams: a case study of
> asymmetries in collaborative research, Springer: London.
>
> Taussig, M. (2013). I swear I saw this: drawings in fieldwork notebooks,
> namely my own. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
>
> > I am particularly interested in children as a vulnerable and
> under-served population, with the aim of using participatory methods of
> co-design as a means of empowerment for this user group.
> >
> > However, I have found it very challenging to make solid connections
> within the healthcare field, partly influenced by my exterior position and
> design training versus having come out of the medical field or even the
> social sciences.
> >
> > Outside of cross training or utilizing other forms of trans-disciplinary
> methods of working, I was wondering if you might have some suggestions, or
> would be willing to share some of your research?
>
>
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> PhD-Design mailing list <[log in to unmask]>
> Discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design
> Subscribe or Unsubscribe at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/phd-design
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
>
--
*Barbara Cottrell Trippeer*
Graduate Candidate
Innovation Studies/ Applied Design Research
UNT College of Visual Art + Design (CVAD)
[log in to unmask]
972-374-8195
M.F.A. Candidate in Applied Design Research
University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design
art.unt.edu
Research Assistant & Teaching Fellow
art.unt.edu/designresearchcenter
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PhD-Design mailing list <[log in to unmask]>
Discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design
Subscribe or Unsubscribe at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/phd-design
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|