Design for health is an emerging field that brings together many different ways of thinking and working. Students working in this field often find themselves engaging multiple perspectives and approaches as they learn to navigate both design and healthcare. In this workshop, students will have the opportunity to share their work (and experiences of working) in this shifting space, with a particular focus on managing complexity within the context of their research and practice. Together we will explore topics such as navigating researcher identity, balancing theory and practice, articulating ‘what we do’, and developing strategies for managing the multi-dimensional nature of design for health research.

Workshop Facilitator

Workshop FacilitatorS

Guy Collier

Good Health Design, AUT

Guy is an interdisciplinary researcher with a background in sociology, comparative religion, and medical anthropology. He is completing his doctorate with AUT’s School of Art & Design, exploring the ways in which design (for health) may unwittingly contribute to the over-medicalisation of life in contemporary society—and how we might do things differently in the future. He currently works at Good Health Design at AUT.

Helen Cunningham

Good Health Design, AUT

Helen Cunningham is a design researcher with a background in mechanical engineering and industrial design. She recently completed her doctoral thesis with AUT’s School of Art & Design, exploring the ways different forms of knowledge and practices might be understood and used with design to generate new and innovative approaches to healthcare challenges. She is a lecturer in AUT’s Industrial Design program and is interested in developing better health and wellbeing experiences in collaboration with Good Health Design at AUT.