CONTEXT

This keynote presentation in Sao Paulo Brazil for the CIDI 2025 Information Design Conference examines how design methods—specifically information design and participatory design—can strengthen the voice of the patient within healthcare systems, particularly for equity-seeking populations. 

Three case studies from the Design Health Research Innovation Lab at the University of Alberta illustrate how co-design, narrative methods, and information design tools can enhance health system engagement, reduce stigma, and improve health literacy. 

The paper, originally presented as a keynote, discusses the idea that design can make patient involvement more meaningful, sustainable, and impactful, particularly when lived experience is treated as expertise and when information is made clear, accessible, and actionable. The paper concludes by identifying future directions for design research in health, emphasizing the need for equity, digital accessibility, and long-term co-design partnerships.

To read the paper in the Journal InfoDesign: Including the voice of the patient in healthcare: new models for health and design