Design thought and action to challenge and innovate in respect of Bipolar Disorder Care.
Lead Research Organisation:
Northumbria University
Department Name: Fac of Arts, Design and Social Sciences
Abstract
The predominant aim of this practice led research proposal is to develop, implement and evaluate, design interventions that challenge the established way of supporting people living with bipolar disorder.
Design has long been considered a method for improvement and a "force for social good" Shaughnessy, (2015)
and over recent years there has been a transition within the Design profession and beyond, that promotes the
belief that Designers should no longer only be defined as being the creators of a physical objects.
Accordingly, Designers, and Design tools eg storytelling, extreme empathising, making connections between the
seemingly unconnected etc, are increasingly being deployed to improve services, systems and working
environments. This genre of Design activity is known as Design Thinking.
Design Thinking is an innovative methodology used by cross-functional, interdisciplinary teams to solve difficult
problems, and unlock worthy solutions for the end user. It requires a balance of intuition, analytical skills,
insights and imagination, to explore and develop innovative interventions that have the potential to positively
impact people's lives and society as a whole.
Design has long been considered a method for improvement and a "force for social good" Shaughnessy, (2015)
and over recent years there has been a transition within the Design profession and beyond, that promotes the
belief that Designers should no longer only be defined as being the creators of a physical objects.
Accordingly, Designers, and Design tools eg storytelling, extreme empathising, making connections between the
seemingly unconnected etc, are increasingly being deployed to improve services, systems and working
environments. This genre of Design activity is known as Design Thinking.
Design Thinking is an innovative methodology used by cross-functional, interdisciplinary teams to solve difficult
problems, and unlock worthy solutions for the end user. It requires a balance of intuition, analytical skills,
insights and imagination, to explore and develop innovative interventions that have the potential to positively
impact people's lives and society as a whole.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Mark Bailey (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Alexandra Tinning (Student) |
| Title | Recovery College Collective (Recoco) Model |
| Description | A visualization of the Recoco organization, sense made from multiple interviews and intended to communicate the make-up of Recoco and its reach. |
| Type Of Art | Image |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Impact | Published in the Recoco annually programme. |
| Title | Recovery College Collective (Recoco) Purpose. |
| Description | Synthesized and visualized ambition which starts to explore and articulated Recoco purpose. The visual was the central point to initiate discussions around Recocos future. |
| Type Of Art | Image |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Impact | Used as the starting point for workshop discussions. |
| Description | Collaborative Design workshops to explore the Mental Health charity of the future. |
| Organisation | Recovery College Collective Limited |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Conceiving the idea for a set of co-design workshops to develop Design artefacts that explore the Mental Health charity of the future. Interviewed Recovery College Collective stakeholders. Designed speculative design workshops. Designed remote home working design activities. Planned to design the artefacts for the exhibition in October 2021. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Proactively supporting innovative ideas, providing time for interviews, attending workshops, giving their expertise and access to their vast network. |
| Impact | Multidisciplinary (Design, Social Work, Psychology, mental health charity workers). Outputs: A provocative vision for the charity Novel activities to inquire and provoke conversation. |
| Start Year | 2017 |