Designing in Context

1
Designing in Context
Anuja Dharkar Heather Laird Tacy Trowbridge
2
Overview

• Student-centered curriculum for patients at the
  Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
• Encourages self-expression
• Develops technology skills
• Flexible, non-linear curriculum
• Self-standing activities to be led by a
  facilitator and supplemented by computer
  tutorials and peer mentoring.
• Online gallery site

3
About the Hospital

• Inpatient to outpatient ratio (almost 15,000 to
  over 82,000 each year)
• Staffing
• Facilities
• Forever Young Zone
• School
• Recreation room
• Computer access

4
A Changing Patient Population

• Health insurance
• Advances in medical treatments
• Diversity
• Psychiatric patients

5
In the School

• 3 classrooms and 3 teachers
• Need for individualized teaching
• 3 1/2 hour sessions a day
• Palo Alto Unified School District
• Attendance
• Relationship with home school
• High school constraints
• Technology use
• Bedside

6
At Play

• Child Life
• Age appropriate areas
• Organized activities
• Computer room
• STARBRIGHT

7
Health and Emotional Issues

• Grief and anxiety
• Language
• Culture
• Community
• Self-advocacy
• Self-esteem
• Results of STARBRIGHT research

8
A Curriculum for the Space Between School and
Recreation

• Audience hospital staff, implementers,
  participants, broader community
• Constraints of the school
• Limitations of the recreation center
• Addressing health and emotional issues

9
Upon Reflection

• Difficulty arranging site visits
• Unusual and variable constraints
• Lack of contact with children
• Creating space for individuals in a medical
  institution
• Complexity of the audience
• Patients
• Medical Staff
• Teachers
• Parents
• Volunteers

10
Next Steps

• Collect more information
• Observe, user test and interview children
• Interview families
• Involve technology interns
• Opportunities for partnership
• Develop our project
• Design activities to build on each other
• Explore building community with the children and
  families
• Better address culture and language

Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital
Palo Alto Unified School District