The Approach

The research centred around understanding the challenges families had with engaging their loved-ones who suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease during times of visit.

I conducted ten in-depth interviews with individuals whose loved ones have been affected by Alzheimer’s Disease. Additionally, I ran co-creation sessions with family members and staff, who worked at Czorny Alzheimer’s centre, to better understand the challenges that exist with the disease, and how to adapt activities during times of visits. Lastly, after initial ideation, with permission from families, we engaged residents with activities on the Ipads, to better understand the ability and interest levels of the residents. A literature review was also conducted and looked at well-known methods of Alzheimer’s care including play therapy and reminiscence therapy.

The Approach

We gained an understanding of the specific pain points existing within the current incident management reporting process to develop a future state that incorporated user needs.

We conducted in-depth ethnographic studies with 16 internal staff members, which lasted 90 minutes and consisted of interviews and observational shadowing. The protocol focused on first understanding the current state of reporting, the pain points that existed within it, and finally how their specific role connected to the larger ecosystem of the staff who were affected. Because each staff member had varying roles in the process, we recruited at all five levels of staff, from front-line workers to senior managers, and adjacent staff members including HR and Facilities.

The Approach

The research included staff and students but centred around understanding the journeys students took from application to attendance and the touchpoints they encountered

In total we interviewed 16 people within the university ecosystem: 6 in-depth ethnographic interviews with staff, working within student services and financial aid; and 10 students, who were both international and domestic and in various years. Besides semi-structured questions, during the interviews, we used design activities to help them visualize the journeys they took. We also gained valuable insight by shadowing students engaging with student service touchpoints, and feedback from intercepting students on university ground with initial stimuli and low-fidelity prototypes.

The Approach

The research centred around understanding the challenges families had with engaging their loved-ones who suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease during times of visit.

I conducted ten in-depth interviews with individuals whose loved ones have been affected by Alzheimer’s Disease. Additionally, I ran co-creation sessions with family members and staff, who worked at Czorny Alzheimer’s centre, to better understand the challenges that exist with the disease, and how to adapt activities during times of visits. Lastly, after initial ideation, with permission from families, we engaged residents with activities on the Ipads, to better understand the ability and interest levels of the residents. A literature review was also conducted and looked at well-known methods of Alzheimer’s care including play therapy and reminiscence therapy.

The Approach

The research centred around understanding the challenges families had with engaging their loved-ones who suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease during times of visit.

I conducted ten in-depth interviews with individuals whose loved ones have been affected by Alzheimer’s Disease. Additionally, I ran co-creation sessions with family members and staff, who worked at Czorny Alzheimer’s centre, to better understand the challenges that exist with the disease, and how to adapt activities during times of visits. Lastly, after initial ideation, with permission from families, we engaged residents with activities on the Ipads, to better understand the ability and interest levels of the residents. A literature review was also conducted and looked at well-known methods of Alzheimer’s care including play therapy and reminiscence therapy.