PROJECTS

Recovery and Renewal in HealthCare

CONTEXT

This project aims to build capacity and resilience in co-design in health, exploring how co-design practices evolved to engage the most impacted communities in health service research, delivery, and improvement during and beyond a pandemic. By fostering collaboration between researchers, healthcare practitioners, and community partners, the project seeks to advance co-design methodologies that address equity, diversity, and inclusion in healthcare.

APPROACH

The project will be conducted through:

• A research study examining the evolution of co-design in health

• A parallel Community of Practice (CoP) to facilitate knowledge exchange, collaboration, and learning

• Workshops, interviews, and collaborative methods to generate insights and refine best practices

• Development of tools and guidance to support long-term, equitable co-design practices in healthcare

KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION

The Co-design CoP serves as a platform to mobilize knowledge and resources, bringing together design researchers, health researchers, and community partners. Key activities include:

• Guidance and tools to support the rapid advancement of co-design in health

• Sharing techniques that can endure beyond the pandemic

• Capacity-building initiatives to strengthen co-design approaches in healthcare systems

To join the Community of Practice, click here: co-design-beyond-pandemics.mn.co/feed

DELIVERABLES

• Research study on the role of co-design in pandemic and post-pandemic healthcare

• New tools and frameworks for co-design in health, focusing on equity, diversity, and inclusion

• Workshops, reports, and publications for knowledge mobilization

• Establishment of a sustainable Co-design Community of Practice

FUNDER

This project is supported by the National Frontiers in Research Fund program of Canada.

PROJECT TEAM:

Collaborating Institutions:

• Health Design Studio – OCAD University

• Design Health Research Innovation Lab – University of Alberta

• Health Design Lab – Emily Carr University

• SE Research Center – Saint Elizabeth Health

• Lab4Living – Sheffield Hallam University

• CoLab for Community and Behavioral Health Policy – University of Washington

Collaborators:

• Lariena Kumar - Caylee Raber - Kate Sellen - Maryam Mallakin - Paul Holyoke - Shraddha Kumbhar - Nadia Beyzaei - Gillian Harvey - Joe Langley - Sarah Walker - Mehrnoush Zeidebadi

TIMELINE

The project is ongoing, with key activities occurring throughout the next research cycle. Milestones include:

• Phase 1: Research study initiation & Community of Practice formation

• Phase 2: Data collection (workshops, interviews, case studies)

• Phase 3: Development of co-design tools and guidance

• Phase 4: Knowledge mobilization and dissemination of findings

Naloxone Kit Instructions Design

CONTEXT

The Emergency Overdose Kit for the Province of Alberta was developed in collaboration with the Harm Reduction Team at Alberta Health Services (AHS) to improve overdose response and accessibility. Naloxone kits are widely distributed across Alberta, with over 2,000 sites offering them free of charge. However, many individuals who use these kits may have little to no medical training and may be encountering the instructions for the first time in a high-stress emergency situation. The project aimed to redesign the kit instructions using universal information design principles to enhance usability and effectiveness.

This work has been recognized internationally, receiving two Universal Design Awards (Expert & Consumer 2021) during the Munich Creative Business Week and a 2020 IIID Silver Award from the International Institute for Information Design (IIID).

APPROACH

• User-Centered Design: The project engaged individuals with lived experience, healthcare professionals, and harm reduction specialists to refine the overdose kit instructions.

• Testing & Evaluation: The redesigned instructions were tested with users in simulated emergency scenarios to assess comprehension and ease of use.

• Iterative Design Process: Feedback from testing was used to continuously improve the clarity and effectiveness of the instructional materials.

KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION

• Redesigned instructions have been implemented in all overdose kits distributed in Alberta.

• The project findings have been published in peer-reviewed research:

• Harvey G., Bubric K. (2020). Information Design to Save Lives: Visualizing Data in the Design of Overdose Kits. HCII 2020. Springer, Cham.

• The project has received international design recognition, including awards from IIID and the Universal Design Competition.

• The project has been expanded nationally through the Saving Lives initiative.

DELIVERABLES

Redesigned overdose kit instructions based on universal design principles.

• Implementation of improved kits across Alberta (over 195,460 kits distributed as of 2019, with 12,830 overdose reversals reported).

• National Expansion: The success of this pilot project has led to a national research initiative focused on developing a universal information design response for opioid poisonings.

FUNDER

The project received funding from the Social Science & Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insight Development Grant (IDG), starting September 2021.

PROJECT TEAM

• Gillian Harvey (Lead, University of Alberta)

• Dr. Stephanie VandenBerg (Co-Investigator, Emergency Physician, AHS)

• Sara (Lead, Harm Reduction Team, Alberta Health Services)

TIMELINE

• 2016-2019: Initial pilot project in Alberta, with redesigned instructions implemented.

• 2020-2021: International recognition and dissemination of findings.

• September 2021 onwards: Expansion into a national pilot project under the Saving Lives initiative.

For more information about this project, contact Gillian Harvey at gharvey@ualberta.ca.

WHY Supervised Consumption Services (SCS)?

Identity, Infographics and Website

Canada is experiencing a drug overdose epidemic which has killed over 21,000 people between 2016 and 2020. In July 2020, it was found that a Canadian died every 29 minutes from drug poisoning in one week. Supervised Consumption Sites (SCS) are an essential component of Canada’s overdose response. Partnering with ICHWP, this project translates evidence about the impacts on health outcomes, cost savings, crime and public order, and what a typical visit at a Supervised Consumption site looks like. As part of this project, we developed a website with evidence briefs and infographics providing insights for policy as well as information about CSC and the myths and facts about SCS for lay audiences. 

Website: whyscs.ca

Addictions Don’t Discriminate Co-design workshops + exhibition

CONTEXT

The Addictions Don’t Discriminate Project is an interactive in-person exhibit in Edmonton, Alberta, that takes participants on the real-life journeys of individuals affected by addiction. The project aims to increase empathy, improve communication, and enhance access to information related to addictions and mental health research while working to reduce the stigma surrounding substance use disorders.

Read more: Edmonton Journal Article
Project Website: Addictions Don’t Discriminate

APPROACH

• Storytelling & Lived Experiences: The exhibit presents real-life narratives of individuals impacted by addiction to humanize substance use disorders.

• Interactive Engagement: Visitors participate in an immersive experience, walking through personal stories to understand addiction from multiple perspectives.

• Community Collaboration: The project is developed with health professionals, addiction specialists, and individuals with lived experience to ensure accuracy and authenticity.

KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION

• The exhibit provides educational resources on mental health, addiction services, and harm reduction.

• The project has received national and international recognition, including a recommendation award from the International Institute for Information Design (IIIDaward) in May 2023.

DELIVERABLES

• Interactive in-person exhibit in Edmonton, Alberta.

• Educational materials that provide insights into addiction and mental health.

• Community engagement to foster open discussions about addiction and reduce stigma.

FUNDER

The project is supported by local and national organizations focused on addiction and mental health awareness (specific funders not mentioned).

PROJECT TEAM

A multidisciplinary team including health researchers, addiction specialists, and individuals with lived experience.

TIMELINE

• May 2023: Received IIIDaward recognition.

• Ongoing: Exhibit continues to run in Edmonton, with potential for expansion to other locations.

Patient Experience (Alberta Health Services) 

Hospital emergency rooms can be confusing, stressful places. The purpose of the Patient Experience Project is to help patients navigate and understand the complexities of a hospital emergency room.  Our analysis of patient experience surveys conducted by the Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA) showed that staff care and communication had the highest impact on patient experience in the emergency department (Health Quality Council Alberta, 2014). “Good patient experience also has a well-documented, positive relationship to other aspects of healthcare quality, including patients’ engagement with and adherence to providers’ instructions, and clinical processes and outcomes” (Browne et al. 2010, 921). In this project, a patient experience map was designed and tailored to different health authorities. This tool was implemented in 130 emergency rooms in Alberta and 60 in British Columbia. For more information about this project, contact Gillian Harvey, at gharvey@ualberta.ca

Read about the project research here: Harvey G., Bubric K., VandenBerg S., & Hair H. (2021). “Understanding patient experience in the emergency room using multiple methods.” Design for Health 5(2), 233-251, DOI: 10.1080/24735132.2021.1989133

Grey Nuns Emergency Room Signage / Wayfinding

This project aimed to develop, design and test a pilot signage and wayfinding system in the Grey Nuns Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta. We employed design methodologies to evaluate the existing wayfinding system, which consisted primarily of signage and posted maps in a small (45-bed/recliner) Emergency Department in Edmonton. Despite existing research evidence on appropriate signage design and other effective wayfinding strategies, hospital wayfinding systems are often not intuitive. Furthermore, patients and families are often not involved in the research, design, evaluation or the implementation of these systems. Working with patient/family representatives in the evaluation of these systems can identify improvement opportunities that may not be otherwise recognized during the design phase. This project provided a structured methodology for evaluating proposed wayfinding systems prior to implementation in order to optimize their effectiveness and improve the patient/visitor experience in the hospital setting. For more information about this project contact, gillian harvey, at gharvey@ualberta.ca

Read about the project research here: Bubric, K, Harvey, G. and Pitamber, T. (2020). A User-Centered Approach to Evaluating Wayfinding Systems in Healthcare. Health Environments Research & Design Journal 01(12),1-12. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/19375 86720959074

See more work in our Archived Projects

Suboxone Patient Materials for BC Interior Health

DHRIL worked with BC Interior Health to provide accessibility to suboxone in the form of Suboxone Patient Information Materials, a Quick Guide to Suboxone for Practitioners and Posters for Emergency Rooms.

"Given the increasing number of toxic drug deaths across B.C. – deaths that reached a tragic 2,224 in 2021 – Interior Health’s Emergency Services and Mental Health and Substance Use networks partnered in June 2021 on a strategy to introduce a standardized approach for connecting people with opioid use disorder to Suboxone in emergency departments.

Working with BC Interior Health, we designed a set of pictograms for the signs and symptoms of withdrawl, and information for patients on how to use suboxone which can be confusing. More information can be found here:

https://www.interiorhealth.ca/stories/emergency-departments-connecting-more-people-opioid-treatment

Miscarriage Corner

an app designed to improve the accessibility and usability for immigrant women after a miscarriage

This project presents the potential for technology—through an mHeath application—in providing physical and emotional support for immigrant women who have experienced a miscarriage.

A series of user-centred design approaches (including storyboards, user personas, co-design session and user testing) were employed to ensure the end-user is involved in the process of designing the application. A participatory approach was chosen to bring healthcare professionals in different fields with a vested interest in miscarriage together to design a digital solution for immigrant women.

Designer: Mehrnoush Zeidebadi, for fulfillment of MDes thesis at University of Alberta

This project received a recommendation award from IIIDaward (International Institute for Information Design)

in May 2023.

 PUBLICATIONS

Harvey G., Bubric K., VandenBerg S., & Hair H. (2021). “Understanding patient experience in the emergency room using multiple methods.” Design for Health 5 (2), 233-251, DOI: 10.1080/24735132.2021.1989133

Harvey G, Knox M, Hyshka E, Rowe A, Lefsrud L, Sommerfeldt S, Forhan M. (2021) “Opioid overdose response and health information complexities: A pilot study on Naloxone kit design.” The Journal of Health Design 6 (2), 391–400. https://doi.org/10.21853/JHD.2021.135

Bubric, K, Harvey, G. and Pitamber, T. (2020). A User-Centered Approach to Evaluating Wayfinding Systems in Healthcare. Health Environments Research & Design Journal 01 (12),1-12. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/19375 86720959074

Rowe, A., Knox M., and Harvey, G. (2020). “Re-Thinking Health through Design: Collaborations in Research, Education and Practice.” Design for Health 4 (3), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/24735132.2020.1841918.

Harvey G., Bubric K. (2020). “Information Design to Save Lives: Visualizing Data in the Design of Overdose Kits”. In: Stephanidis C., Marcus A., Rosenzweig E., Rau PL.P., Moallem A., Rauterberg M. (eds) HCI International 2020 - Late Breaking Papers: User Experience Design and Case Studies. HCII 2020. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 12423. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60114-0_28

 PRESENTATIONS

Coming Soon!