Risk & reward: Exploring design’s role in measuring outcomes in health

Collaborations between the fields of Design and Healthcare often involve navigating epistemological differences in terms of what is considered robust ‘evidence.’ Whilst Design approaches are gaining traction in healthcare contexts, the scientific paradigm of evaluation remains in a privileged position. This creates a challenge for designers working in healthcare, but also an opportunity. This workshop aims to explore the role of Design in expanding understanding of impact of medical interventions, products or services beyond traditional (and dominant) quantitative methods, towards broader, experiential and contextualised outcome measures. By focussing on the context of child prosthetics as a particularly risk-laden area of investigation, participants can expect a fast-paced, interactive and collaborative session. By maintaining a focus on learning through making, participants will be invited to share their own experiences as well as imagine new ways of supporting young patients and family members in communicating the complex, real-world impacts of their medical devices.