‘I <3 women’ from University of the Arts London wins Student Service Design Challenge '20

Today, the Student Service Design Challenge 2020 comes to an end with the announcement of the best service solution for a healthy heart. Over 35 student design teams from recognised European design academies and universities have invested 5 months in design research, ideation and development. The Jury unanimously selected the service design concept from a multicultural master students' team from University of the Arts London, as the winner of this year's Challenge edition. Their WomenToHeart service helps women to identify and communicate heart symptoms via metaphors.

Jury Chair, Simona Maschi, co-founder and director of the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design: “I can confidently say that the young designers we have met through this brilliant competition have all the tools, the skills, the ethical values, and the determination needed to create value-adding services for individuals and society at large.”

The winning service solution: WomenToHeart

WomenToHeart is a service helping women to identify and communicate via metaphors. 'I <3 Women' is an international student design team of five aspiring service designers, hailing from different industry backgrounds and countries. They are all enrolled in the MA in Service Design at University of the Arts London
 
'Heart disease is the #1 killer of women worldwide. But women are unaware they can be at risk of a heart attack and what the symptoms could look like. And when looking for help, women face an additional challenge: in our research we discovered that they struggle to communicate their symptoms effectively. In the meantime, healthcare professionals have trouble recognizing symptoms because women can experience non-chest related symptoms, which are harder to diagnose and to communicate. It was clear that we needed to close this gap. WomenToHeart is an online service to help women identify and communicate their symptoms via metaphors, rather than using the traditional pain scale. Our empowering approach helps women understand their early warning signs and slow on-set symptoms in order to seek help sooner.'

Jury:
“I know how tough it is not only to get the message across but also to get the women aboard, to talk about this, and to think about it.” - Lucien Engelen
 
“Ticks all the boxes from a highly relevant underserved population to a great concept and great storytelling.” - Sean Carney
 
“The idea of not only thinking about physical health prevention but also embedding the element of a community to connect and promote best practices makes it outstanding.” - Anna Queralt

Silver prize: RO+

RO+ is a service to ease Roma people’s sickness journey designed by team No Pressure, five design students from Aalto University in Espoo, Finland. Their concept creates a hassle-free journey for Roma people. On the platform Roma, healthcare providers and social service workers can access information in one place and coordinate with each other on referrals, appointments and the status of temporary ID. The service can solve Roma’s problems, including language barriers, by simplifying the processes.

Jury chair Simona Maschi: “A project that demonstrates how digital technologies can empower the most vulnerable communities. I hope that this work will inspire more designers and organizations around the world to start designing scalable healthcare solutions starting from those at greater risk of exclusion.”

Bronze prize: Heartsease

Heartsease is a service that improves the communication between elderly patients and medical staff. The members of student design team London Arts 1 are enrolled in the MA in Service Design at University of the Arts London. The service improves the communication between elderly patients and medical staff through informing patients about the medical process and providing a personalised plan-making experience. A cardiac passport and related stickers on examinations and treatments are part of the service concept.

Jury member Sean Carney: 'Great concept showing the future of truly personalised care.' 

Prizes and recognition

The 5 students of the winning team earn a 10-week design-in-residence position at Philips Experience Design where they will be able to further prototype and optimise their concept. During those weeks they will be mentored and supported by a Philips expert team. They will also receive additional training by the Dutch IBM design team and participation in a summer workshop at CIID.
 
The silver and bronze winners receive a monetary prized of EUR 2,500 (+ EUR 2,000 for the University) and of EUR 1,500 (+ EUR 1,000 for the University).

The Student Service Design Challenge is organised by DDW ambassador Sean Carney Chief Design Officer of Philip, together with Service Design Days, and in partnership with IBM and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. More information can be found on the SSDC website.