Abstract
This paper describes the lessons learned from Service Design projects which have tackled sensitive subjects: from young people in care, mental health, unemployment, homelessness, overcrowding, crisis and domestic violence to name but a few. It highlights the importance of adapting normal project practice to protect the mental health and well-being of all those involved in a project. It argues that project rituals must be developed to look after the participants, which requires a shift in company’ cultures to truly value mental health and well-being and to reduce staff stress and trauma.
Keywords
mental health, mental well-being, service design, research, sensitive subjects
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/servdes2018.33
Citation
Dhir, A.(2018) Put on your oxygen mask before helping others: Mental well-being in service design, in Anna Meroni, Ana María Ospina Medina, Beatrice Villari (eds.), ServDes 2018: Service Design Proof of Concept, 18–20 June, Milan, Italy. https://doi.org/10.21606/servdes2018.33
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Research Papers
Put on your oxygen mask before helping others: Mental well-being in service design
This paper describes the lessons learned from Service Design projects which have tackled sensitive subjects: from young people in care, mental health, unemployment, homelessness, overcrowding, crisis and domestic violence to name but a few. It highlights the importance of adapting normal project practice to protect the mental health and well-being of all those involved in a project. It argues that project rituals must be developed to look after the participants, which requires a shift in company’ cultures to truly value mental health and well-being and to reduce staff stress and trauma.