Combining design research with microbiology to tackle drug-resistant infections in different home environments in Ghana: Challenging the boundaries of design thinking

The aim of this paper is twofold. Firstly, to present design research work that crosses into specialist medical areas, in this instance that of antimicrobial resistance (AMR); and secondly, to contribute to the debate on the need for design-driven research to explore alternative ways of delivering h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Design journal Vol. 22; no. S1; pp. 347 - 358
Main Authors Tsekleves, Emmanuel, Darby, Andy, Ahorlu, Collins, De Souza, Dziedzom, Pickup, Roger, Boakye, Daniel
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Routledge 01.04.2019
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Cognition & reasoning
Design
Design thinking
Disease prevention
Medical research
Microbiology
Ghana
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Summary:The aim of this paper is twofold. Firstly, to present design research work that crosses into specialist medical areas, in this instance that of antimicrobial resistance (AMR); and secondly, to contribute to the debate on the need for design-driven research to explore alternative ways of delivering healthcare by focusing on preventive design responses. These points are addressed in the exploration of an international design-led research project, Dust Bunny. The project uniquely combines design research and microbiology to provide an informed assessment societal practices in domestic cleanliness and to co-create novel solutions that reduce infections in the home. The findings and experiences from this unique transdisciplinary collaboration (design, microbiology, epidemiology and social science) reveal several insights on the challenges and opportunities on challenging the boundaries of design thinking.
ISSN:1460-6925
1756-3062
DOI:10.1080/14606925.2019.1595424