Olga Elizarova, Senior Behavior Change Analyst, Mad*Pow: These days, when we talk about “health”, we usually mean healthcare. We use it to describe when our body is malfunctioning, and we are sitting in the exam room or lying in the hospital bed. Our health systems view health in the same way; the only time they consider our health is when we are being treated for an illness. This kind of “health” doesn’t address social determinants that occur outside of clinic walls like working conditions or stable housing, nor does it address people’s feelings of hope and purpose despite the growing body of research proving that both of these can cause or prevent many chronic conditions. Designers are beginning to challenge this system. We will discuss co-design methods currently being used to expand personal and institutional understanding of “Health” and illustrate their function in several case studies. We will also explore how data, social determinants of health, and experience will be integrated in the health experience of the future.

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