Development of a Handover Approach in Design for Dementia

The aim of the doctoral research is to find accessible handover approaches to transfer the unique experiences a designer has with PLWD, to other designers who are unable to meet PLWD. At the start of the research, a literature study was combined with ethnographic research to provide a framework for the creation of a first set of handover tools. Through interactions, observation and interviews with PLWD in different contexts, insights were gained into multiple aspects of the everyday life of PLWD. These lived experiences were visualized with illustrations as moments of auto-ethnographic reflection.

From this research three concerns emerged to take into account when creating a handover approach in design for dementia; the designers’ interpretation, the uniqueness of each experience, and the search for methods able to transfer these experiences. In this framework a video installation is created for designers to gain an understanding in the lives of PLWD and to take with them as a source of inspiration in the design process. This work-in-progress paper contributes to the process of creating the video as a conversation starter on handover approaches. The effectiveness of the video installation will be examined in different professional design contexts providing a basis for adaptations to the video and the creation of future handover approaches.

Exhibiting the video installation at the CA²RE conference in Ljubljana would provide an opportunity for designers to have dialogues on the three concerns, and the use of video to transfer unique experiences with PLWD.