Design for wellbeing in hospital routines for paediatric cancer treatment

Abstract

Abstract Children’s experiences while undergoing treatment for chronic diseases (e.g. cancer) may influence their subjective wellbeing. According to design for wellbeing, introducing playful elements to daily activities (e.g. toys) contributes to improvement of positive affect and mitigation of negative affect—thus, improving subjective wellbeing overall. The primary goal of this research is to identify situations in hospital routine that can be redesigned through playful strategies to improve subjective wellbeing. A team of designers and psychologists engaged in weekly games with young patients hospitalised in the paediatric cancer unit. Participatory observations focused on feelings that children shared about their personal experiences and those with friends about the hospital routines. Thematic analysis was conducted after 10 weeks of play. Several project opportunities emerged from results. We proposed a product designed to support patients during hospitalisation through a co-design process with hospital staff aimed at improving patient’s subjective wellbeing.