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Dr Remi Bec PhD, MA, BA (Hons)

Design Ï㽶ÊÓƵer

• Art Design and Media Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Centre

Summary

I studied model making and interior design in France and switched to product design when I moved to the UK. I studied at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ and graduated with a Master’s and a PhD in Design, during which time I was part of the User-Centred Healthcare Design team (UCHD) which was part the Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Ï㽶ÊÓƵ and Care South Yorkshire (CLAHRCs) funded by the of the National Institute of Health Ï㽶ÊÓƵ (NIHR). 

I have recently been seconded to the team (TK2A - part of the second round of CLAHRC Yorkshire & Humber) where I was the design researcher lead based in the Royal Hallamshire Hospital. I am now returning to the design office at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ within the and I am excited to the prospect of working on the E3 project looking at the 100 Years and the Future Homes, and funded by the Ï㽶ÊÓƵ England's Expanding Excellence in England.

My research explored the use of games to promote engagement and behaviour change. I have co-developed, prototyped and evaluated iteratively Boost Up!, a board and card game that aims to promote physical activity. Since implementation is a crucial aspect for me, I have incorporated Boost Up! as part of a wider service delivery which is offered by a social enterprise I have created: GoFit4Fun CIC, a Community Interest Company. I have explored various ways to find financial support for the development of this new adventure, which allowed for the development of a and enabled me to conduct a pilot study that will be implemented in two stages throughout 2019 and 2020. The games were also used within the research process to engage participants and encourage different thinking (eg. Dice, role play, actual games, sometimes hacked for the purpose). 

My role within Lab4Living and the service I offer as a  - consists of applying design thinking and skills to help utilise research knowledge to improve healthcare services. To do so, I have gained numerous knowledge and skills in planning and driving workshops with diverse stakeholders. I have worked with a range of stakeholders including healthcare staff (clinicians, nurses, physio, GPs, psychologists), commissioners, students, people living with COPD, diabetes, stroke survivors, people with mental illness, learning disabilities, children… Giving service users a voice by involving them in the co-design process is important. It is also crucial that the insights and/or ideas coming from end-users are taken into consideration throughout the design development process since giving time and a voice to everyone through making ideas tangible (e.g. prototyping) is a way to develop trust.

 Furthermore, applying methods to all participants regardless of their role (e.g. patients and consultants) is a way to levelling the power in the room. Such visual methods support people who may have otherwise struggled to contribute and engage fully in workshops, which seem to increase the quality of the outcomes. This illustrates our thinking and this shows a selection of project we have been working on.