How the brief was fulfilled

In March 2022 MA Interaction Design and MA Service Design students from the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) were embedded in the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH) for a 5 week design project which tackled clinical and operational challenges related to the development of the new Major Trauma Centre (MTC). The students responded to the brief as a collective, focusing on the end to end journey from pre-hospital, arrival at hospital, admission, in-patient stay, rehabilitation and living well following trauma.
Facilitated by MMUH, the students conducted interviews with staff, patients and family, carried out observations and undertook secondary research. Working closely with staff the students co-created key artefacts including personas and experience maps, generating insights related to the patient, staff and operational aspects of the MTC. Following the presentation of insights to clinicians, nurses and executive project leads, opportunities for design were identified. The project placed an emphasis on patient and staff engagement throughout, and the execution and resolution of solutions through cocreation, iterative prototyping and testing in context.
The project provided a real-world learning experience for the students, and an opportunity to have a meaningful impact on a live project within the public health system. The students honed their design skills by applying them in a fast-paced setting on a complex and multifaceted challenge. For MMUH staff the project provided a safe space to engage in the ideation, prototyping, and testing of solutions for the MTC, addressing existing and potential pain points. By engaging in collective designing with the students, the project provided a mechanism for staff to learn about design and its application within healthcare. This project is one facet of the ongoing NCAD x MMUH collaboration which focuses on embedding a culture of design within the hospital and the healthcare sector more broadly.