Reimagining Solutions for Inclusivity and Community Care through Innovation by Design (IbD) Bootcamp
Authors: William Siew, Arlindo Silva
13 budding designers from the 2022 cohort of the Masters of Innovation by Design (MIbD) programme participated in an intensive micro-CET course on design thinking in SUTD. Of three teams, two chose to work on developing solutions for people with dementia while one focused on people with visual impairment. Through active learning, teams applied design methods and tools including a new method called See and Shoot that emphasises on increasing students’ critical inquiry on stakeholders and environmental factors when innovating solutions. Their level of empathy to design solutions heightened when they learned about the:
- pains and struggles of people living with disabilities,
- need for inclusive and engaged communities that support people with cognitive/physical disabilities, and
- way to make a mindset shift from seeing people with disabilities as patients or service users to citizens who want to lead meaningful and healthy lives.
To conduct investigation and design solutions that shift the centre of gravity of acute care from hospital towards the community, students looked beyond hospital, beyond quality to value and beyond physical boundaries – understanding that contexts can affect the lives of people with disabilities differently, and envisioning appropriate support in the right setting. From the pre- and post-survey questionnaires, they gained a better understanding on inclusivity and community care.
