Challenge: How can we engage people to reflect upon their lifestyle-related health issues and share that information with health services?
Challenge giver: The Public Healthcare Service Committee of Stockholm County Council
Solution: Inside Out: Reflective Benches for Stockholm City
Concept: Benches designed for meetings and discussions on health
Challenge area: Health

ABSTRACT

This report details the design thinking process followed by Team Happy in the 2016 spring semester of Openlab’s Challenges for the Emerging City course. Our challenge, from the Public Healthcare Service Committee of Stockholm County Council, was: How can we engage people to reflect upon their lifestyle related health issues and share that information with health services?

We practised a multitude of methods to explore our challenge and various solutions, including: research, interviews, study visits, brainstorming, sketching, building and observation. In the end, we identified the most potential for our users to engage in health reflection by transforming an everyday object—the bench— into a social and safe space for group discussions and reflection.

Health reflection needs to be a natural part of daily life, and we believe our users need it to be social and fun at the same time. Circular sitting spaces in parks will create a welcoming place for people to come together and, around open questions, reflect and share their view on health, both verbally and in writing. In this way, internal reflections will also be shared and become part of a collective dialogue for a healthier future for Stockholm.

(Apologies for bad sound quality in the presentation video)