User wellbeing: an entry point for collaboration between occupational therapy and design

ABSTRACT

Design has become more focused on the user and wellbeing. Occupational therapists can form a valuable bridge between health and design by sharing significant insights about user, environment and occupation. Designers and occupational therapists share a creative, participatory and user-centred perspective. Members of both professions report low rates of collaboration, but that can change with a conscious effort to increase awareness and create opportunities to partner. As with any interprofessional collaboration, both professions’ profit, however, in this case there is an even greater beneficiary: the user.

KEYWORDS:

• Interprofessional collaboration
• occupational therapy
• design, user-centred
• co-design
• wellbeing

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Jade Stewart, BS, OTS and Chanel Raddatz, BS, OTS for their assistance with formatting this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tamar Amiri

Tamar Amiri, MSc, OTR/L is an occupational therapist with a background in industrial design. Her clinical work is in the fields of blindness and visual impairments, developmental disabilities and dementia. Tamar participates in research and advocacy activities relating to enabling design and inclusion.

Amy Wagenfeld

Amy Wagenfeld, PhD, OTR/L, SCEM, CAPS, FAOTA holds faculty positions in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Western Michigan University and the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Washington, and is Principal of design+cOnsulTation. Her research and award-winning design work focuses on inclusive and universal access to nature.

Lori Reynolds

Lori Reynolds, PhD, OTR/L is assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Northern Arizona University. She consults with senior living organizations and landscape architects on the creation of therapeutic garden spaces, and indoor nature spaces that promote health and wellness, and can reduce dementia-related behaviours.