There is a saying that nothing is certain in life but death and taxes. Clearly, there is a lot more certain in life, with perhaps the most important one being healthcare.

Healthcare is something that we all encounter throughout our lives. Health is something that many of us may take for granted, but is always something that is in flux. We might ponder that our bodies are in a process of continuously breaking down, with a long spiral toward entropy, or a gradual decline toward disorder. Healthcare helps to delay that process to whatever extent we can, trying to stave off the inevitable and provide a footing upon which we can exist with some amount of comfort, stability, and security.

A pandemic of course can bring this into stark focus. There is a certain vulnerability to having mass illness with unknown origins, unfamiliar symptoms and contagiousness, and potential fatal consequences.

A lack of healthcare, a feeling of illness, not having knowledge about how to fend off disease all can make us feel exceptionally vulnerable. And scared.

Some will say that our belief in superstition, magical thinking, and even religious belief all are our way of dealing with this uncertainty around our physical wellbeing and impending doom.

Likewise science is another tool with which we can stave off our decline and try to have some control through making choices to improve our health and extend our lives.

But how do we translate scientific knowledge and advances so that people can follow them? And how might we use innovative design to improve healthcare outcomes?

Dr. Jessica Mudry is focused on these questions through the work she does at Toronto Metropolitan University. There she is a Professor and Chair of the School of Professional Communication. She also is the Director of the Creative School’s Healthcare User Experience Lab. Here she uses her background in science and communication to generate ideas and create content to improve healthcare outcomes and improve health equity.

In this episode, we talk about her path from chemistry to communication. We explore narrative theory, rhetoric, and language, and how we can apply them to scientific communication.

She talks about how we have to learn to tell stories about science. We can’t just tell one story, but have to understand how different stories can resonate with different audiences. Her work in science television demonstrates how you tell stories well, and how the best stories will win attention. We have to take inspiration from how young people communicate, and rethink what it means to have create academic content.

Finally we talk about how Canadians are nice, how to create better impact measurements in academia, and how we can find humanity in healthcare.

Dr. Jessica Mudry - https://www.torontomu.ca/procom/people/jessica-mudry/

Healthcare User Experience Lab - https://www.torontomu.ca/healthcare-user-experience-lab/

One of the central questions in experience design is how to not only engage the audience for whom we are designing, but also how do we best include them in the process of design. But such a statement can sound more like a platitude than an actual instruction. It is one thing to say “be inclusive”, but another to be truly inclusive. This can seem challenging when a designer’s remit can be to design something that is attractive to a broad audience. If we are trying to attract a broad audience, then how do we consider the needs of those who may exist outside of that.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion is not a catchphrase when it comes to design. It is something that designers should be considering when trying to do designs that are representative, inclusive, and just. Part of the work of being a good designer is not only to believe in this, but also to get clients and employers to believe in this as well.

Any design process is political in that decisions have to be made that can affect stakeholders. How research questions are posed, data collected, results processes, and conclusions acted upon, can all be impacted by power. Those who are making decisions can do so in ways that further marginalization or increase inclusion. Which way things go depends on the conversations had and the decisions made.

Veronica Shelton and Hannah Ryu started the UX/UI design company Oak Theory with this understanding, and a goal of making inclusive design a core part of the design process. They are “on a mission to enhance digital design by championing authenticity and inclusivity.”

But to do so without creativity and strategy is not going to result in outcomes that best serve clients and impactful designs. So Oak Theory bridges all these elements, working with some of the biggest clients like IBM, Google, Figma, Adobe, Salesforce, Sephora, Amazon Web Services, and many others.

We talk with Veronica and Hannah about their journey to founding Oak Theory. We discuss the importance of including diverse perspectives, the role that female leadership plays in their organization, and how to be representative of voices in their research.

Ultimately they stress the importance of inviting, talking, learning, and caring, because without doing so we cannot create design that matters.

Oak Theory - https://oaktheory.co

Veronica Shelton - https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronicashelton/

Hannah Ryu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahryu/

In today’s episode of Experience by Design, we welcome Jon Cohen, an expert in transformative experience design from G&A, an experience design company. We do a deep dive into the potential risks and implications of emerging technologies, particularly the Apple Vision Pro, and its impact on distraction and deployment in various settings, including museums and public spaces.

Jon shares his expertise on integrating augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to create immersive and awe-inspiring experiences, enhancing both educational programs and collective memories. The discussion extends to the evolution of video quality, the role of fashion trends, and the intricate balance of using technology to enhance, rather than distract from, meaningful experiences.

We’ll also hear poignant stories from Jon about gaming with his son and a transformative visit to Dachau, highlighting the power of immersive experiences in understanding cultural trauma. The conversation touches on significant historical events, such as Operation Overlord and the Vietnam War, and how reverence and reflection are incorporated into modern design.

We talk about how to approach the making of reverent spaces that not only prompt introspection, but also connection. While tech might be great for immersion, it can also lead to distraction. So the goal is to balance those features and think about when to use technology and when you need to leave it out. To be reverent is to be in the moment. This means the designer of reverent spaces needs to amplify the moment, heighten the sense of reverence, and move the person into the space of remembering.

Whether you’re interested in how today’s technology can preserve stories of the past or how it impacts our sense of identity and place, this episode promises a thoughtful exploration of the intersection between technology, design, and human experience.

Designing Reverent Spaces in a Tech Driven Future link

G & A link

G & A LinkedIn

G & A Instagram

Jonathan Cohen LinkedIn