We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Children's Hospital Wayfinding Team ("CHWT").
The Childrens Hospital Wayfinding and Experience Design Team combines QUT Design Lab creatives and researchers with Queensland Children's Hospital curatorial and health communication specialists, reflecting the interdisciplinary approach typical of the QUT Design Lab. This group fosters collaboration among designers, thinkers and innovators from diverse fields. Acting as a catalyst for new thinking and dissolving boundaries between disciplines, they turn concepts into tangible artefacts, images, experiences and interactions to stimulate, provoke and empower partners and design students for positive, inclusive and ethical futures. Driven by the mission of 'Change by Design' and drawing on creative research, prototypes, Human-Centred Design and critical design processes they partner with community, government, and industry to drive meaningful change - from healthcare co-design processes and artefacts, to citizen science visualisation, robotics, transport and wayfinding design.
Children's Hospital Wayfinding Team Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Children's Hospital Wayfinding Team.
Children's Hospital Wayfinding Team Design - Journey to Fun Playful Hospital Wayfinding
Designer Interview of Children's Hospital Wayfinding Team:
DI: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
CHWT : Yes, I've always designed. Architectural design studies teaches those essential skills of reframing the way you see things, to emerge new possibilities, and the iterative, circular, evolving nature of that process that I've been doing ever since in terms of interactive art making, VR design and all sorts of things since as well. Even before that though (and still today) , I worked a lot as an artist - drawing and painting and, most importantly looking - because interpretation, and different ways of interpretation is an essential skill here as well.(Jen Seevinck)
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
CHWT : Now I'm at QUT Design Lab - where four of us are from (Seevinck, Baade, Miller and Ridsdale). Its a phenomenal group, unique in its interdisciplinarity and inclusiveness. I think this inherent collaborative nature of the group is what makes it so powerful: it provides the ground work for 'combinatorial creativity' - what is essentially the innovation that arises from people looking at things in different ways, coming at it from different perspectives, to find that new solution. So, combining that with the Art and Health team at the Queensland Childrens Hospital (Seear and Douglas) is what has enabled us to come up with this fresh, play-based and experience focused perspective on Hospital wayfinding design. (Jen Seevinck)
DI: What is "design" for you?
CHWT : Fresh and tight. Its something refreshing, unexpected, new to what I might expect - it makes me stop for a moment to take it in / appreciate it. That doesn't mean it has to be obvious, it can be subtle too - but if you reflect on it, its just a little bit startling. Importantly, its also tight - every aspect is thoroughly considered and essential. Like I tell my students: every decision you make in the design has at least 2 reasons for it - function and concept etc etc. So you have this tightly integrated visual form.(Jen Seevinck)
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
CHWT : Where you work closely with people to come up with solutions - like the co-design we did here (because thats the stuff thats going to give you fresh new ideas - from all your collaborators!).(Jen Seevinck)
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
CHWT : I have 2 : First, Touch Designer software from Derivative. Its a procedural real time environment. I love the fact that it can evolve imagery and this can be dynamic and responsive - to bring in sensors and human interaction or data visualisation. Ive used it for interactive data visualizations or artworks or ARnervous and excited through to peaceful and immersed. The other is paint - oil and acrylic. I love to work in layers or glazes, and brush strokes - the depth of colour combined with the expressive quality are just mesmerising.(Jen Seevinck)
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
CHWT : In the mornings with a strong cup of black coffee, or late at night when everyone is asleep and listening to music.(Jen Seevinck)
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
CHWT : The assumptions and boundaries. How can we invert, subvert or push them to innovate! (Jen Seevinck)
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
CHWT : Vervous and excited through to peaceful and immersed (Jen Seevinck)
DI: What makes a design successful?
CHWT : It is the feeling it evokes; as well as being practical, a good design mets the needs of users and goes beyond that, to delight them (Evonne Miller)
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
CHWT : What is my visceral response. Is it effective on that visceral level? (Jen Seevinck)
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
CHWT : Do no harm and advocate for social and environmental justice (Jen Seevinck)
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
CHWT : "Increasing focus on community engagement as integral part of design and of course co-design" Gillian Ridsdale
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
CHWT : International Symposium of Electronic Art 2024, in Brisbane - Kirsten Baade. Brisbane city public outdoor gallery 2023-4 - Jen Seevinck.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
CHWT : Responding to contexts to create site-specific public art. Also, exploring the physical properties and possible innovative uses of materials and technologies. (Kirsten Baade)
DI: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
CHWT : My personal style is "dopamine design". Bright colours, lights and patterns to evoke happiness, tailored to particular situations and contexts. (Kirsten Baade)
DI: How can people contact you?
CHWT : Email Jennifer.Seevinck@qut.edu.au or at portfolio site: jenseevinck@smartnoise.net