PROJECT
Improving access to healthcare for vulnerable women
With Namahn
Year 2017
Client RIZIV
Citizens in vulnerable conditions hardly find their way through healthcare services: either they do not know about them, or they do not understand their importance.
We worked with the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance to study pregnant women in poverty and co-design a tailored care path based on their needs.
The card deck we used to trigger stories during the interviews
Approach
To get insights on the women’s situation, we conducted multiple interviews and focus groups. We synthesised the related findings in a system map, highlighting the main areas of intervention. We used these as a baseline during a co-creation session with women, caregivers, as well as project team and stakeholders. In the session, we identified new tracks for the improvement of the service offering, with interventions ranging from the introduction of SPOCs for women or the creation of communication campaigns, to the creation of learning networks for physicians.
The envisioned strategy for an ideal care path was finally translated into a pilot project.
System map synthesising the crucial “stories” from the field research
Brainstorming activity during the ideation workshop
My role
I participated in all the project phases, I facilitated the project framing and ideation workshops, prepared, attended and synthesised the user research, visualised the workshop outcomes including a map of the service offering, and a roadmap to illustrate the service from its pilot to the full implementation.
This project allowed me to grow as a service designer, while experimenting and enriching my toolbox with methods from systems thinking.
In the team
- Kristel Van Ael (design lead)
- Klara Demyttenaere (designer)