Designing for wellbeing

posed during the exercise. In this way epiphanies may come to either party,
and they can be instantly developed. This is a good example of bridging the
discipline gap by finding mutually unfamiliar territories.
Involving the stakeholders meant following an iterative process where
the group visited the site regularly to discuss the project and listen to the
representatives’ opinions. The representatives not only shared their specialist
knowledge, they also played a role in the formation of the results
being developed by the designers. The designers acted as catalysts for the
creation of a mutually desirable solution. Taken at face value the solution
resulting from the project appears simple and obvious; however, it was
simply not there before. This underlines the vuja de approach the designers
brought to the project. They helped the specialists to view their discipline,
and their everyday work, through fresh eyes. The Transfer Ticket is critical
of the routine practices in psychiatric care and the relationship between
the patients and the facilities they use. This is of great value, as it is the
result of a collaboration between stakeholders and external provocateurs.
The group’s process of interpretation through discussion with the situation
and reflection on the actual user input closely follows Schön’s concept
of reflective practice, while their use of metaphors and drawing of analogies
from their own personal experiences of travel is an exemplary case
of the vuja de-type thinking that Kelley talks about. The group managed
to effectively cut corners in their own process, avoiding the difficulties of
learning and understanding the nuances of patient transfer and its relation
to care but understanding it enough to find a shortcut.
What is notable about this way of working is that the facts do not dictate
decisions. Working in this way postpones the cost engineering and other
analyses to later stages of the project and allows more room for pursuing
goals that are desirable despite their costs and difficulties. This may seem
tedious, as it is through iteration that results can be gained, but when working
towards the specific goal of contributing positively to a discipline that
you know virtually nothing about it is a feasible route to follow.
47 · We have always been here before: on design courting real disciplines