The Conclusion
The Framework
Project Overview
The Close to Home project seeks to support individuals aging in place through the development of provocative and engaging healthcare tools. The You Are Not Alone (YANA) system is comprised of interactive, two-way communicating wall and door frames, and a notifying phone application. The development of the YANA system, as a socially modifying agent, utilises creative media to facilitate meaningful conversations and degrade stigma barriers towards the natural human processes of aging. The healthcare monitoring perception shift, generated by the YANA system, inspires elderly individuals to welcome the presence of a loved one into their home to acknowledge their experience of aging in place.
The Silhouette Frame
The silhouette frame is generated from a side profile image taken of an individual ageing in place and/or a family/supportive community member. The device transmits and receives motion sensing data from its paired frame to illuminate the silhouette in response to the presence of a loved one.
The Custom Frame
The custom frame allows for the motion sensing, light responsive technology to be added to any existing picture or artwork frame that is larger than 15cm squared.
The Door Frame
The door frame integrates the motion sensing, light responsive technology into the home through a decorative piece of architecture.
The YANA Application
The mobile application supplements the physical frame products. The YANA application alerts elected family/supportive community members if no motion is detected beyond a location-specific predetermined duration. Additionally, family/supportive community members will be notified if behavioural routine changes are detected from the individual ageing in place.
The Residence
The design honours course has provided me with the opportunity to develop and formalise my personal design research methodology.
When I begun my bachelor’s degree in design, I had originally perceived that the role of design research was to provide a static foundation for explorative studio work. However, from deeply engaging with the design honour theory course, the active, interrelated richness that design research may contribute towards studio work was realised.
I have learnt the value of employing studio practices to guide the prioritisation of discovering theoretical frameworks. The comprehension of these frameworks then provide the hypothetical defence for the new knowledge generated from the studio design outcomes. This understanding has clarified the interrelation between, and dependence on, theoretical and practical research to develop meaningful design research projects.
The process of regularly documenting my design practices, through engagement with a critical inventory, provided an opportunity to considering and reflecting upon my expectation as an emerging design researcher. A primary expectation was identified to be appropriately recognising my placement within projects of inquiry. This acknowledgement was realised through appreciating my emotional investment in the projects that I am apart of, thus allowing me to moderate any consequential biases which emerge.
I am incredibly proud of the work that I have developed throughout my design honours degree and the degree to which my perspective as a design researcher has matured. As I prepare to undertake a PhD in the upcoming year, I look forward to calling upon the practices discovered from my design honours year and further refining my unique contribution to the field of design research.
I'd like to sincerely thank the design honours lecturers, Dion Tuckwell & Robbie Napper, for the guidance and support that they offered throughout the year. I feel incredibly privileged to have engaged with such an inspiring honours year and I look forward to establishing myself as a Monash graduate design researcher in the years to come.