Co-designing Behaviour Change in Healthcare
Kieran John, Daphne Flynn, Mark Armstrong · Proceedings of DRS · 2018
An emerging challenge in our research is that of understanding mindset and how it directs human behaviour. Literature reviewed of prominent models for the design of health behaviour change has been applied to two collaborative healthcare research projects, conducted in the context of a co-design methodology. The first focuses on the design of remote care for chronic heart and liver disease patients; the second on reducing the rate of hospital-acquired infection through changing hand hygiene behaviours. Issues that are collectively responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of people per year. Empathy studies highlight ingrained social norms, poor attitude, disengagement, low aptitude, disorganised and chaotic environments, and a strong motivational deficiency as drivers of adverse behavioural intention. It is suggested that this is a collectively consistent narrative, exposing a systematic behavioural breakdown between need and desire. Designers should be wary of the complexity and theoretical nature of behavioural intervention while understanding its ability to address interventional design’s susceptibility to resistance and misuse. This paper situates these theories through the case studies and discusses how designers can better inform their practice when working within complex healthcare environments.