The potential of a device lies not in the data but in analysing it.
What this meant is that the products should not be developed in isolation but could be seen as elements that stress experts could use in their service offerings to customers. The functionality of the product is realised in the relationship between client and coach.
Mike— A device is just a device, and it only takes a measurement. Its potential lies not in the data but in analysing that data, interpreting it, communicating it and thereby empowering people to change. auty ess
Looking at these products from the perspective of a PSS requires looking beyond just the end user. Designers will also need to think about the care workers and what they are trying to achieve. Traditionally, this might have meant that they would have quickly read through the relevant material and acquired the rudimentary skills and knowledge. Designers, though, will never reach the same level of expertise of care workers, nor should they. This project explores a different approach and the model it is developing offers a way to get together with the most important stakeholders to determine which challenges may benefit from a design approach.
The field of mental health is built around services and although there has historically been a gap between psychiatry and technology, with the opportunities now available to measure and thereby monitor how the body is reacting, that gap is closing. Many of the early attempts to bring technology to this field aimed only to bring the traditional approach to healthcare to a digital platform. Although these solutions were recognised as innovative, they were often developed nearly entirely without input from health care professionals. Erik— Such an approach will not bring health care to the next level.
By working closely with stakeholders from early on in the process, you see that the field of mental health is also changing and moving forward. Instead of coming up with solutions that lack a real problem, you get to use technology in areas that benefit from it most.
Geert— The value that design can add in such situations is not to start from a technology perspective, but to first consider what moves people, and then translate that back into potential technology.
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