Sneha Raman

Developing design principles for a Virtual Hospice: improving access to care

Objectives Providing access to hospice services will become increasingly difficult due to the pressures of an ageing population and limited resources. To help address this challenge, a small number of services called Virtual Hospice have been established. This paper presents early-stage design work on a Virtual Hospice to improve access to services provided by a hospice (Highland Hospice) serving a largely remote and rural population in Scotland, UK. Methods The study was structured as a series of Experience Labs with Highland Hospice staff, healthcare professionals and patients. Experience Labs employ a participatory design approach where participants are placed at the centre of the design process, helping to ensure that the resultant service meets their needs. Data from the Experience Labs were analysed using qualitative thematic analysis and design analysis. Results A number of themes and barriers to accessing Highland Hospice services were identified. In response, an initial set of seven design principles was developed. Design principles are high-level guidelines that are used to improve prioritisation and decision making during the design process by ensuring alignment with research insights. The design principles were piloted with a group of stakeholders and gained positive feedback. Conclusions The design principles are intended to guide the ongoing development of the Highland Hospice Virtual Hospice. However, the challenges faced by Highland Hospice in delivering services in a largely remote and rural setting are not unique. The design principles, encompassing digital and non-digital guidelines, or the design approach could be applied by other hospices in the UK or overseas.

Design-led Approach to Co-production of Values for Collective Decision-Making

Abstract Experience Labs are design-led spaces for co-creating preferable futures by bringing academic, business and civic stakeholders to work together with citizens using a participatory design approach. Differing value systems of stakeholders, however, can pose challenges when working collaboratively. Experience Labs support exchange and co-production of values among diverse stakeholders by making them articulate and visible through design, to resolve conflict and to support meaningful decision-making towards progressing ideas whilst integrating a multiplicity of perspectives. In this paper, we discuss the creation of an ‘ethical imagination space’ to explore preferable futures with diverse stakeholders; the core values of the Experience Labs which support the creation of this space; and the key qualities that support the exchange and co-production of shared values to enable collective decision-making. We propose that the ‘next thinking’ for design involves consideration of the ways in which we engage with values in cross-sectoral collaborations to enable collective decision-making.