Best Awards 2015

Recently the Best Awards finalists were announced, showcasing the top New Zealand spatial, graphic and product design outputs for 2015. The Lab was recognised as a finalists in two categories - 'Best Offices and Workplace Environments' and 'Best Public Good.'

Embedded in the world of health at Auckland hospital, it has been one of the lab goals for 2015 to increase our visibility amongst the design community.  These award nominations have served as a great platform for sharing our vision amongst fellow designers.

We look forward to entering some of our current design projects in the 2016 Best award competition!

Official Lab Launch

On the 6th of May, the Lab had an official launch event to mark the bringing together of Design and Health at the ADHB. The event was a chance to celebrate how the Lab has developed over the last year into a lively and engaging design space in the heart of Auckland Hospital. The event saw represenatives from both  ADHB and AUT share their support of the venture and recognised the value of placing the experience of patients and families at the heart of design opportunities.

Thank you to all took the time to come and join us at the Launch event - It was a full house with approximately 80 people from the ADHB, AUT and Industry coming to support. We look forward to the road ahead and we hope you come and visit us again soon to check in!

At the Launch a short Film was shown documenting the beginnings of the Lab and its vision for Design in the Hospital.

The Design for Health and Wellbeing Lab is a collaboration between Auckland District Health Board and Auckland University of Technology. Working on a project-by-project basis in the areas of graphic, product, and service design, the DHW Lab is characterised by its empathetic, user-centred approach to solving hospital-based design problems. The Lab is a working knowledge hub that encourages staff, patients, families and other hospital users to ask questions, share insights, challenge assumptions, and contribute to meaningful design outcomes.

Pharmacy Redesign

The main driver behind the Auckland City Hospital Pharmacy redesign is taking the current retail gift shop focus, and making it a health and wellbeing service, decreasing wait times for prescriptions, and providing more nutritional health-based  products. A large part of this redesign is a cost-effective 'quick win'. This is seeing what we can accomplish now to improve the pharmacy's functionality, and later inform decision making around a future-proposal for a brand new pharmacy. 

Using co-design, the team have been incorporating the pharmacy staff in the design process using a variety of tools to engage them in the process.

Pharmacy WIP 7

Pharmacy WIP 1-2

Canterbury DHB Design Lab Visit, 2014

Last Friday, the DHW Lab team and ADHB staff were invited down to Christchurch to visit the Canterbury District Health Board Design Lab. The tour through the Lab was highly insightful and the we all took a lot away from the experience. Thanks to the team down in Christchurch, especially Richard Hamilton who hosted the tour.

A day trip to Christchurch to visit the Canterbury DHB Design Lab. Music: Sun Harmonics by Jon Hopkins - all rights reserved to the artist.