Solving real-world problems with design thinking

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When Jaclyn Larson’s son Aidan was two years old, a car accident left him with a traumatic brain injury that changed the course of their lives. 

Now 15, Aidan relies on a communication device to express himself. The switch-activated, augmentative device functions properly, but its practical use in Aidan’s day-to-day life comes with some challenges.

“Previously my son was using a switch embedded in his wheelchair tray to access his communication device. But this was limiting his ability to be able to move his wheelchair independently, and the tray was bulky to carry around." Larson explained. “It was frustrating. I thought there must be a better solution.”

At the University of Arizona Health Sciences, Larson turned her frustration into action.

While earning a master’s degree from the U of A Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, Larson was introduced to the Health Sciences Design program. That’s when she began turning her ideas to improve Aidan’s communication capability into a reality.

Larson is designing a durable, more user-friendly enclosure for Aidan’s communication device as one of the first students in the Design for Health Innovation Graduate Certificate program.

Filling a personal void

Design thinking, a human-centered approach to problem solving, emphasizes empathy, ideation and prototyping. It encourages a deep understanding of the user’s needs and challenges, leading to more effective and innovative solutions. The process allows students to learn about design visualization, prototyping and user testing while collaborating with their peers and faculty.

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The Design for Health Innovation Graduate Certificate equips students and working professionals with essential skills in applied design and innovation for the health sector. Offered through Health Sciences Design, the flexible nine-unit program can stand alone or complement other graduate studies. Students complete six core units that teach them to tackle health challenges through design thinking and collaborative projects. Three-unit electives allow students to tailor their learning to specific areas, such as medical device development, community health interventions and health policy.

“There are two primary pathways into our program,” said Matthew Briggs, MFA, assistant professor of practice for Health Sciences Design. “We either get health practitioners who are trying to learn design skills or we get the opposite with designers who want to apply their skills to health practices.”

Larson fell into the former category. As a public health student, she appreciated the knowledge she gained and the impact the field has in communities. But she also felt something was missing. When she took the Design for Health Workshop course, that void was filled.

“Health Sciences Design really spoke to me,” said Larson, who has been a staff member at the U of A Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities program since 2016. “Learning about the design thinking process kind of takes you to a problem and provides you with a framework of coming up with more innovative solutions. It allows you to address the underlying problems, not just the perceived problems.”

Larson explained that for Aidan, the perceived problem of how to communicate had already been addressed. The underlying problem was the products on the market didn’t address the challenges of attaching the switch (which operates his communication device) to a wheelchair in a feasible fashion. To make matters more challenging, the arm that fixes it to the wheelchair limits Aiden's ability to control the wheels of his chair.

Innovating with compassionate design

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The Health Sciences Design program provided Larson with a place to explore her own solutions. While she had a vision in mind, she was a long way from a finished product. She began an independent study project with Briggs and Kasi Kiehlbaugh, PhD, director of Health Sciences Design, and shared her initial ideas with them.

“I remember she had a sandcastle bucket that she cut holes into and placed the switch inside of it,” Briggs said. “It gave me a smile and I said to myself, ‘Alright, we’ve got a project here.’”

Larson’s designs have evolved since then, and the Health Sciences Design courses she took were instrumental in advancing her project. With access to the Health Sciences Design makerspace and resources like 3-D printing and laser cutting, she’s developed more than a dozen iterations that address the practical challenges faced by her son and others. With constructive feedback from Briggs, Larson focused on improvements through testing and revision as part of the design thinking process. 

“Jaclyn’s project is a perfect example of what the program is all about,” he said. “She’s taking a personal challenge and turning it into an opportunity to impact the larger disability community. Her work exemplifies how design can be both innovative and compassionate.”

Larson also credits her Health Sciences Design coursework with helping her in her fulltime work with ArizonaLEND, which prepares future leaders in policy, research and clinical practice for the maternal and child health workforce. Larson, an academic programs officer, makes graduate leadership training accessible to individuals with intellectual disabilities by adapting materials for self-advocates and advising trainees from diverse fields.

As health care continues to evolve, Larson’s work highlights the importance of interdisciplinary, user-centered approaches to solving complex challenges. With the support of the Health Sciences Design program, she and students like her are leading the way toward a more inclusive and innovative future.

“I have the strong belief that everyone should be able to access communication in every situation,” Larson said. “That has been my goal since I started exploring this project to help Aidan. I hope that when my design is finished, it can also help others facing similar challenges.”