HIGHLIGHTS FROM KNOWLEDGE OF DESIGN WEEK 2016
design. cities. health. in the new economy
Content Foreword
Message from Dr Edmund Lee
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Speakers
Prof. Jeremy Myerson
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Larry Keeley
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Scott Davis
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Siegi Schmidmaier
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Stacey Chang
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KODW 2016 –– exploring the visions and planning the future of health and healthy living
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FOREWORD #Cities are in need of transformation. Facing
#Designing for empathy, dignity, stakeholder
finite resources, global #ageing population,
and community engagement, and wellbeing is
changing consumerism and lifestyle, cities are
a compelling force to create better healthcare
increasingly embracing quality of life, resilience
infrastructure, services and interfaces, reimagine
and sustainable development.
patient and customer experience, and realise greater efficiency.
Advances technology
in
arts,
and
humanities,
medicine,
science,
together
with
Building #HealthyCities with the community
increasing access to information, open up
has become an integral part of healthcare
new horizons for (re)-designing for #health &
leadership, city architecture and urban health for
#wellbeing for all with a #holistic approach.
cities in the 21st century and of the future.
#Design – in the broadest sense – presents strategies,
mindset,
methodologies
Yours sincerely,
and
solutions to fuel #humancentred innovations. #Disruptive technologies and #BigData-driven
Dr. Edmund Lee Executive Director of Hong Kong Design Centre
insights unlock new possibilities for #healthcare sector and cities to stay agile, relevant and engaging in response to the changing demographics, lifestyle and values.
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HEALTH, NOT JUST HEALTHCARE Prof. Jeremy Myerson Helen Hamlyn Professor of Design, Royal College of Art, UK
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“Cities shape health and they will do so in the future at an accelerated rate.” Professor Jeremy Myerson is a Helen Hamlyn Professor of Design at the Royal College of Art and one of the Britain’s 100 most influential people in digital technology, according to Wired Magazine. In Knowledge of Design Week (KODW) 2016, Myerson shared his expertise as an author and activist in design and innovation, with extensive credentials in ageing healthcare. Professor Myerson presented a session titled Cities and Health: Seeing the Bigger Design Picture in which he encouraged a more holistic and proactive approach to managing society’s health problems. He suggested this can be achieved through a wider focus on lifestyle and encouraging the population to live more healthy lives, rather than managing healthcare through reactive facilities and programmes. Professor Myerson’s recommendation is that town planning and healthcare departments join forces to create ways for the community to get
healthy and stay healthy, rather than nursing the masses back to health. There are a lot of ways to do this, new spatial strategies for cities, new approaches to resisting infection, mobilising the masses into active travel, healthier homes, innovations in healthcare, and introducing new ways of working. Orchestrating each of these important elements to provide a town planning environment that allows a community to thrive and remain healthy is a tough task for governments but one that must be taken up, according to Professor Myerson. “I’m a huge advocate of public health departments getting together with city planners. There needs to be a tougher regime of what can appear in a cluster.” He cited the UK’s NHS d+|kodw
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Healthy Towns initiative as one project where departments are working in unison to provide a healthier environment for the people. “The NHS Healthy Towns initiative is the first real example of this whole picture approach of health, not healthcare. The idea that you look at all the planning decisions and their impact on health.” He explained, in the UK, there had been a predatory approach to certain neighbourhoods. In areas of social inequality there is often a mass of betting shops, bargain retail outlets, fast food chains, and alcohol shops – these are retailers who will pay a lot more to maintain their businesses, compared to smaller businesses such as those that sell fresh food. These communities are then spending a high proportion of their income on unhealthy food, on poor retail purchases or experiences like gambling. These high-street conditions then create clusters of health and social challenges. While Hong Kong may not facilitate a highstreet environment like the UK, it is a city renowned for retail. When asked how Hong Kong could benefit from this type of initiative, Professor Myerson shared, “Relocating health facilities around the patters of citizens, that’s important.” He continued, “What’s crying out here is to put some health clinics in shopping malls. It’s a no brainer.” Hong Kong’s love of shopping, combined with the customer centric design of our modern malls offers the perfect environment to engage community members on health matters. “Why shouldn’t people, while they’re buying a dress or a belt, go to a health clinic and see a doctor or get a prescription?” He asked. Green spaces and modern spatial strategies are also cited as a must-have element for building a city that supports a healthy lifestyle and a modern health system. Planners must ensure there are parts of a city, and each new suburb, that are not developed but provide a
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parkland where people can run around and get some fresh air and sunlight. “Don’t hand it over to a developer to build a big and tall building, that happens in Hong Kong.” He warned, “The problem is that people are too short-term. What they should think about is, what’s the cost to the health system of not having the tools for a healthy city?” He answered, “The cost to the health system is poor health.” Professor Myerson had some parting words to the city’s planners and healthcare industry, “It’s important to have a good healthcare system of delivery, if you’re just thinking heath care, you’re thinking cure and you’re being fairly reactive.” He believed we need to move to a much more proactive state, one that focuses on prevention. He also suggested public health officials think about the built environment and the city’s design decisions; and that planners need to think about public health. At the moment they are siloed in much of the world. He urged, “There are needs to be much greater integration between health professionals and planning professionals, this collaboration can be a fantastic accelerator of good health.”
On Twitter KODW @kodw_hkdc
If smoking was the lifestyle epidemic of 20th century, then obesity & diabetes r the 21st’s 10:49 AM - 15 Jun 2016
Live Report
June 15, 2016 11:21
Exploring the key design elements to create a healthier city, academic, author and activist in design and innovation, Jeremy Myerson, Helen Hamlyn Professor of Design at the Royal College of Art and a Visiting Fellow in the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing at the University of Oxford, confronts the way in which urban planners and policymakers currently tend to focus on healthcare in cities rather than address the issues of well-being and healthy living.
Find out more about Jeremy Myerson’s insights on our blog coverage
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EMBRACING CHANGE FOR A BETTER FUTURE HONG KONG’S INNOVATIVE FUTURE Larry Keeley President and Co-founder, Doblin Inc. Director, Deloitte Consulting LLP, US
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“Hong Kong, when it’s at its best, is a great integrator of advance. And what we need right now in community health is a whole bunch of elegant integration around known things - not primary invention of new things.” Larry Keeley It is common to feel overwhelmed by the world’s rate of rapid change. Even experts agree we are living in a time of extreme dynamism. But Larry Keeley has some bad news for those that are not comfortable with embracing change – we are only at the beginning of this time of immense transition – it is going to get worse. Visiting Hong Kong for Knowledge of Design Week 2016 (KODW), a week-long design event organised by the Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC), Larry urged the designers and city / government leaders to not only embrace change, but to dare to see around the corner and begin to innovate our city for the future. Larry is an avid fan of Hong Kong, speaking with great regard for the city’s proven history of innovation and the possibilities for the future, “When Hong Kong is
gutsy, when it’s systemic and when it’s design oriented then you get this unusual condition of moving in a leapfrog way from ordinary to best in the world.” Larry enthused that Hong Kong has an established history of innovation, citing Hotel ICON - one of the most respected hotels in the world and where KODW was held, built as a Polytechnic University training hub - as an example of such modernised thinking. While the thought of rapid transformation may seem daunting to some, Larry urged us all to recalibrate our reaction to innovation, “You don’t have to feel daunted, even when something is as important economically and socially as a healthcare system, to think you have to be an inventor. You only have to just see how to make it d+|kodw
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more human and stitch it together operationally so it’s easier for people to do hard things.” Reflecting on the city’s ability to deliver a forwardlooking health solution, he said, “People here should have more confidence in themselves and more awareness that this is the local history. We should expect greatness, not mediocrity.” Healthcare is central to the success of Hong Kong, like so many countries across the globe, our city faces the challenges of an ageing population. An ageing population that is set to live longer than ever before. While the demand to plan and manage our ageing needs is one important city-planning element, Larry also noted there are opportunities for the city to thrive when it comes to medical tourism. “Way back, when Hong Kong was the gateway to China, the city simply had a richer, deeper approach to logistics, management and shipping than others.” Recently, he noted, Hong Kong had begun to focus on innovating alternative industries like tourism. From this viewpoint, it is not a great leap to see success for the city in medical tourism. With infrastructure like the fast train from China, coupled with the city’s reputation as an easy city to visit and be present in, Hong Kong becomes an attractive destination for medical tourism. Larry believed the sweet spot lies in the city’s move towards a thinking economy and our propensity to be bold. “Paradoxically, in the twenty-first century the least risky innovations are often the boldest.” He continued, “in this arena we’re in now, it really is about bold ideas. It’s about citizens choosing how to live. And deciding with each other what bold ideas they want to foster in their regions.” Larry warned the responsibilities and drive
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towards an innovative and evolved heath care solution must not rest with the government. “The ‘what have you done for me lately?’ attitude of citizens all over the world is much to be decried.” He referenced JFK’s famous quote, “ask not what your nation can do for you but what you can do for your nation”, and said, “I have a limited amount of patience for citizens who think the role of government is to give and not to receive.” He drew a logical parallel between Hong Kong and Chicago when referencing the power of private-public partnerships. Just as Chicago’s private sector can claim responsibility for health initiative Millennium Park – a private investment in city health that now returns $1.2 billion in provable additional revenue for the city - our city’s business leaders will play an enormous role in the evolution of Hong Kong’s move towards becoming a healthier city. Larry asserted, “when the business leaders of Hong Kong decide to do something, they tend to do it with a certain amount of courage. Especially because you now have one of the world’s best polytechnic and design schools, I have a lot of faith that you can do it.”
On Twitter Doblin @DoblinGlobal
We’re excited for @kodw_hkdc! Don’t miss Larry Keeley talking #healthcare innovation http://hubs.ly/H03hSML0 #KODW 8:00 AM - 14 Jun 2016
Live Report
June 15, 2016 10:20
As a scientist of effective innovation, Larry Keeley, President and Co-founder of Doblin Inc takes a close look at the 21st century healthcare demand innovations from many fields including life sciences, healthcare delivery, food systems, behavioural health, big data, and community health are impacting the frontiers of healthcare for Hong Kong and China.
Find out more about Larry Keeley’s insights on our blog coverage
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DESIGN STRATEGIES EVOLVE TO MEET PATIENT HEALTHCARE EXPECTATIONS Scott Davis Chief Growth Officer, Prophet, US
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Whether a patient is making an appointment to see a medical practitioner, follow-up checkups or seeking advice from a doctor about health risks and treatment options, according to a branding expert, design-led planning and technology can help to improve the patient experience. Speaking at the Knowledge of Design Week 2016 (KODW), Scott Davis, Chief Growth Officer at Prophet, a consultancy firm which helps organisations grow their brands and improve businesses efficiencies, said there is a huge chasm between what healthcare providers think their patients or customers want and actual choices and preferences consumers are looking for. The presentation made by Davis, followed the theme of other presenters made at the KODW forums that human-centred design has a major part to play in improving the way healthcare is shaped, delivered and experienced. ‘’Current healthcare delivery models are largely based on the tradition of what works best for the
physician or medical facility with little regard for consumer preferences,’’ said Davis whose presentation mainly focused on the US private healthcare sector, but made the point the same general concepts apply anywhere. With people living longer, especially in Hong Kong which has one of the highest life expectancies on the planet, the way healthcare in both the public and private sector will come under pressure to adapt to consumer trends and expectations. In the coming years, Davis said he expects to see a radical change from a patient being told to be in a physical place at an appointed time to meet with an expert. “Instead of a patient being told ‘the doctor will now see you’, it will be ‘doctor, the patient will now see you’,” predicted Davis. The branding expert said it is not easy to change d+|kodw 13
healthcare systems which are entrenched in convention and standard practices, but design and technology are able to provide some of the solutions. ‘’The rise in a customer-centric approach has shifted to the consumer in nearly every industry from retail and transportation to financial services, but the healthcare industry lags behind,’’ said Davis, who cited a US customer satisfaction survey of 27 industry sectors, which placed healthcare providers at 24. Davis also pointed out that social media channels, online, and mobile digital technologies have irreversibly put the ability to share healthcare experiences into the consumers’ hands. Davis told the audience that design and digital tools play a major role in defining and allocating patients resources across signature touchpoints, meaning the various interactions patients have during the course of their appointment booking, consultations and treatment. ‘’It’s complex and it’s hard and the healthcare industry doesn’t like dealing with it, but with effort and the right holistic approach design can be used to connect the eco-systems across different nodes to offer a better experience for the patient or consumer,’’ said Davis, who also elaborated on how a customer-centric approach can support broader goals including a deeper involvement of patients in their own care processes, improved business efficiencies and strategies that boost the bottom line. Davis pointed out that is crucial to redesigning the patient experience, it is vital to understand the roles of those that interact with patients and, more importantly, how those roles can be connected to create a positive patient experience. He added the healthcare industry is unable to make changes alone. To succeed, they need to be able to tap into the knowledge and skills of other professions, including design. Davis said KODW 2016 provided an excellent example of how by bringing together people with different knowledge, experience and expertise, problems and solutions can be discussed. ‘’The KODW forums stimulate dialogue and conversations about the future of healthcare systems that can lead to very different and
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improved services,’’ said Davis. He added he was sure people attending the KODW forums, including those from Hong Kong’s private and public healthcare industries and those that so far have had little contact with healthcare, will have an interest or an idea that can lead to benefits for users and the industry. In addition to his presentation, Davis took part in a panel discussion with professionals from around the world speaking on a diverse range of topics, from hospital and rehab design, wearable technology and health tech to the power of creative leadership and imagination. Davis also offered insights of how in the US, through company commitment, topdown management leadership and thorough collaboration and partnerships with design and technology professionals, a number of private healthcare organisations had improved customer satisfaction by aligning all points of care across a single system. ‘’We helped our clients develop a system of care that is closer to the complex realities of people’s lives and equipped to meet their expectations and interconnected needs,’’ said Davis.
On Twitter KODW @kodw_hkdc
“In a highly commoditised market, experiences are the highest differentiator’’ Scott Davis #HKDC #KODW2016 10:01 AM - 16 Jun 2016
Live Report
June 16, 2016 09:42
With more than 25 years of brand, marketing and innovation strategy experience, Scott Davis, chief growth officer with consulting firm Prophet, highlights how consumerism is impacting the healthcare sector and patients’ expectations for navigating the healthcare environment have become the same as if they were navigating retail, hospitality or the financial services’ environment.
Find out more about Scott Davis’s insights on our blog coverage
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DESIGN HELPS TO PROPEL CANCER CARE INTO NEW REALM Siegi Schmidmaier Director, Strategy, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Australia
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A world-class hospital and research institute facility may sound an unlikely building to elicit expressions of “wow’’ and “amazing’’, but these are often the response when people walk into the new A$1.2 billion Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) in Melbourne, Australia, according to Siegi Schmidmaier, Director, Strategy at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, which is located within the VCCC. ‘’The first impression of the VCCC can be a little bit overwhelming, in a nice sort of way,’’ said Schmidmaier, who was speaking at the Knowledge of Design Week 2016 (KODW). Schmidmaier explained to the audience how the views from a patient, medical professionals and focus groups representing various users had been taken into account during the design process. ‘’People affected by cancer or working
with cancer patients were at the heart of every decision in the development of our new home, which doesn’t have the feel of a traditional hospital,’’ stressed Schmidmaier. From the ocean and busy city views that distract from chemotherapy chairs, to landscaped garden sanctuaries decorated with native and exotic plants to sprawling benches and quiet corners where recovering patients and loved ones can sit and relax. User-centric design and placement of signage and information kiosks have also been taken into consideration. Working with selected partners, said Schmidmaier, and getting the design form and function right has been extremely important during the setting up of the new Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
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Schmidmaier said within the VCCC emphasis had been placed on everything that is efficient and caring and epitomises what thoughtful quality healthcare should be. This includes modern inpatient and outpatient facilities and spaces for patients and families to spend time together during what is often the most traumatic experience of their lives. Public zones are designed to bring patients into proximity with doctors and nurses, research scientists, technicians and other users of the building. Careful design considerations were given to the location and connectivity between moving patients to imaging, pathology, operating theatres, and the intensive care. There is even a Wellbeing Centre fitted out like an airport lounge, where patients and their families can use, even when their treatment is finished. ‘’The VCCC is a collaboration that aims to save lives through the integration of cancer research, education and patient care to create a worldclass centre of excellence,’’ Schmidmaier said. The facility is designed to accommodate hundreds of doctors, nurses and researchers, working across the centre’s eight partner organisations. ‘’Every effort has been made to ensure researchers can translate research from the lab to the patient bedside,’’ said Schmidmaier. Explaining that design goes beyond the physical building and fittings and features within the VCCC, Schmidmaier detailed how services were designed around patients’ needs and suggestions. For example, recognising that cancer diagnoses can be a shocking and confusing experience, responding to requests, patients are able to record their consultations with their medical professionals. ‘’By bringing together various experts we have worked out a way to overcome privacy issues, so that cancer patients can keep a record of their consultations or share information about their healthcare needs and treatment with their families,’’ said Schmidmaier. Patient focus groups also asked for information about the diagnoses and treatment of cancers to be presented in
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a simpler way than they traditionally were. ‘’Working closely with focus groups is a very meaningful and successful way to ensure we take into account all of our patient’s needs and concerns during a stressful period of their lives,’’ noted Schmidmaier. Based on the concept that the more minds dedicated to working together, the faster ways will be found to reduce the impact of cancer, Schmidmaier said researchers at the VCCC embrace partnership networks with researchers and cancer specialists from around the world. ‘’Because of the design of our operating systems, technology and people-to-people networks, there are a lot of opportunities to pool data and exchange details around the world to design and administer new treatments and ways of dealing with cancer,’’ noted Schmidmaier. Described by some as looking more like a cruise liner than a hospital, Schmidmaier said the new building inspires hope and courage and has had a notable motivation impact on staff. ‘’For medical staff that are able to attend to patients and carry out research in the light-filled, custom-designed VCCC, the work motivation is incredible,’’ noted Schmidmaier.
On Twitter KODW @kodw_hkdc
Siegi Schmidmaier will be sharing at KODW 2016 Forum 2 – Designing Future Care. #HKDC #KODW #KODW2016 #HKDCadvance 10:01 AM - 8 Jun 2016
Live Report
June 15, 2016 16:16
Aimed at leading the way in pursuit of improved cancer treatments, Siegi Schmidmaier, director, of Strategy at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia part of the new $Aus 1.2 billion Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) explains how the design process incorporates the views of patients, medical professionals and focus groups.
Find out more about Siegi Schmidmaier’s insights on our blog coverage
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DESIGNING THE HEALTH SYSTEM OF THE FUTURE Stacey Chang Executive Director, Design Institute for Health, University of Texas at Austin, Former Managing Director, Healthcare Practice, IDEO, US 20 d+|kodw
Stacey Chang is the Executive Director of the Design Institute for Health, a collaboration between the Dell Medical School and the College of Fine Arts at the University of Texas at Austin. The Design Institute for Health is tasked to create a new approach to modern health by applying design methodologies. Chang visited Hong Kong in June 2016 to moderate and speak at the Shaping Healthy Cities morning session of the Knowledge of Design Week event (KODW). At this session he shared some of the experiences and learnings uncovered by his team as they have explored the possible health system of the future. Reinventing a health system to better serve modern citizens and the future demographics of societies across the globe is truly a new frontier, and a once-in-a-lifetime design opportunity. According to Chang, at present many of society’s health systems are, by nature, inherently inscrutable. They are complex in the way they work which makes them both difficult to understand and a robust design challenge.
So, what does the health system of the future look like? Chang explained that it should look like whatever a society demands of it. He encouraged the people to truly consider what they need from a health system and then to demand that from private enterprise and their government. He clarified, “it’s about encouraging members of society to have an explicit voice and define the future health systems that they care about. None of that will be clear until the populations they serve make clear what they want.“ Identifying and advocating one’s own health needs may be a difficult pill to swallow for the general public, who are mostly used to trusting and following their doctor’s advice. This is where the design profession must step in to serve the community and drive engagement d+|kodw 21
in this important discussion. Chang shared, “if individual members of the community don’t feel empowered to give voice to this discussion, then mechanisms can be created to help the voice of the people be heard. You can not lift a limp body. It has to know at some level what it wants, or be able to buy into a system that works for it.” For society to know better than healthcare experts do is a very challenging notion. One may ask, how am I supposed to know better than my doctor does, she’s the expert? Chang explained, this is where the revised notion of health, not healthcare, is the answer. “That’s where the patient gains the authority, and the advantage over the physician. In the domain of sickness, the physician is absolutely the expert but as a population or a society, we don’t want to be in that place. We want to be in a place that keeps us as healthy as possible, to not arrive at a point where we need help from a physician.“ This type of next-generation health system is becoming a reality in Austin, Texas, where Chang and his team at the Design Institute for Health were exploring solutions for each of the components of this new health system. These include the design of financial incentives – the business model; the design of organisation structures to serve that business model; the design of a work flow and service experience blueprints; design of community engagement models; design of the technology to support those. Chang reflected on the launch of the project, “That was mind-blowing and completely daunting to begin with.” Turning the US healthcare model on its head, the team is exploring a value-based model,
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“It’s not a free service model, it’s a value-based model. That is, the system only survives and has a viable business model if it creates real valuable outcomes on the patients’ behalf. That’s the only real measure of success.” As part of the initiative, the Design Institute for Health is providing an entrepreneurial platform that encourages smart people to experiment and innovate. Chang said to make such significant advances and see systemic change, they must work with the existing health system but in brand new ways, “We need disruptive influences, typically entrepreneurially-minded entities. That’s not just start-ups, that’s also corporates with new technologies or service models. We have to open ourselves to entrepreneurial approaches to solving problems.” Chang shared, “It’s an opportunity to build a proof model. And as we established good practices we might be able to disseminate them and share them.” While his team is based in Texas, USA, their research and initiatives are being noticed by governments and health industry stakeholders across the globe who are now contacting the team to learn more about their findings.
On Twitter KODW @kodw_hkdc
Stacey Chang on the need to focus on health instead of healthcare #HKDC #KODW #KODW2016 12:22 PM - 15 Jun 2016
Live Report
June 15, 2016 11:47
With the traditional legacy of healthcare systems rooted in a complex web of societal expectations and commercial interests, Stacey Chang, Executive Director, Design Institute for Health University of Texas at Austin, takes a new angle of how design thinking and methodologies can deliver creative and human-centered approach, critical to large-scale efforts to remake the systems that deliver healthcare.
Find out more about Stacey Chang’s insights on our blog coverage
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KODW 2016 –– EXPLORING THE VISIONS AND PLANNING THE FUTURE OF HEALTH AND HEALTHY LIVING
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How can the design and planning of Hong Kong’s built environment help people stay healthy for longer? How can design inspire people to exercise more and live a healthier lifestyle? What will our future hospitals look like? These topics and many more took centre stage for debate, discussion and insights at the Knowledge of Design Week (KODW) 2016, an annual week-long conference held by Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC). Featuring five days of forums, workshops and roundtable discussion, KODW 2016 focused on the vision of design-led future form, functionality, and quality of living relevant to health, healthcare, and healthy living in cities, with a special focus on Hong Kong. The chosen theme “Design.Cities.Health in the New Economy” represented a bold step in addressing big challenges on cities and health from an integrated and holistic ecosystem perspective, using the user-centred approach. HKDC Executive Director, Edmund Lee, said
KODW 2016 underpinned part of HKDC’s mission to create awareness and demonstrate how innovative designs and services can be applied to the health and related industries to create better infrastructure, services and interfaces, and re-imagine the patient and customer experiences. Recognised as one of HKDC’s flagship events, KODW 2016 brought together more than 20 international and local distinguished speakers and leaders in the healthcare, business, architectural, and technology industries. During forums, which were divided into three interdisciplinary sub-themes: Shaping Healthy Cities, Designing Future Care, and Innovating Health Experience, speakers gave examples of case studies and how best practices can help to d+|kodw 25
reduce the impact of ageing and lifestyle-related illnesses, while promoting physical exercise and social involvement that create a healthier, sustainable, and vibrant environment for the young and the elderly. Pointing out how the KODW topics are relevant to everyone in Hong Kong, HKDC Chairman Eric Yim said in his welcoming remarks, ‘’it goes without saying each and every one of us needs healthcare at some point.’’ Officiating Guest of Honour Gregory So Kam-leung, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the Hong Kong Government said with Hong Kong’s proportion of elderly persons aged 65 and over projected to rise from 15 per cent in 2014 to 36 per cent in 2064, this puts tremendous pressure on the healthcare systems. ‘’ Design, and how we design the spaces around us, can improve quality of life, education and the entire community,’’ said So. HKDC points out that KODW provides a valuable networking platform to bring healthcare professionals, business leaders, urban planners, design users (such as those in the field of marketing, business development and strategic planning), SMEs start-ups, academics, design educators and technologists together to exchange views and build momentum. Data and the use of data were a reoccurring topic at KODW, with presenters explaining various ways that data can be collated and used to benefit society. Professor Tom Kvan, Provice Chancellor at the University of Melbourne, Australia, made the point while there is no shortage of health data being generated, the challenge lies in the way the information is understood and made available. Kvan said within cities different government departments
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tend to use different data sets, which are mainly non-sensitive and with the right filters, can be used appropriately. ‘’The goal is to use data from multiple sources to develop better ways to plan cities that incorporate healthcare needs and healthy lifestyle features,’’ said Kvan who co-authored the book ‘’The Making of Hong Kong’’ and is recognised internationally for his pioneering work in design, digital environments, and design management. Fellow presenter Larry Keeley, President and Co-founder of Doblin Inc and Director of Deloitte Consulting LLP, explained how a super computer developed by IBM is changing the world of medical research by amassing more data knowledge in a day than a conventional doctor acquires over a lifetime. “This is the type of technology that can drive design and leave doctors to focus on other areas of healthcare,” said Keeley. Forum presenter Dr Simon Kwan, Chairman of Simon Kwan & Associates, outlined how the HK$20 billion Kai Tak Hospital cluster is part of a pipe-line of new hospital facilities designed to benefit the people of Hong Kong. He said in addition to world-class medical facilities, the
500-bed children’s hospital will have garden or sea views and a large garden to act as a focal point for children, families, and medical professionals. Speaking on the topic of Remaking Human Health – Revolution by Design, Stacey Chang, Executive Director, Design Institute for Health, University of Texas at Austin, US, said while genetics have a bearing on human health, cities, lifestyle, and other aspects of living also have a significant impact on health. “Stress has a huge impact on health, we need to look at the way we deal with this at a time when technology can create rather than lessen the impact of stress,’’ cautioned Chang. Meanwhile, “Seeing the Bigger Design Picture” presenter, Jeremy Myerson, professor of Design at the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Royal College of Art, UK said there is a need to bring the concepts of design and what cities need closer together. “We need to exploit in our great cities, including Hong Kong, using our knowledge and design influences to create healthier lifestyles and workplaces,’’ noted Myerson.
Professor Yeoh Eng Kiong, Director at JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, focused part of his presentation on the way design can help reduce human errors. He used the examples of medical instruments to the simplest items such as waste bins that need to be used properly. “Design can help people do the things they need to do and avoid doing the things they shouldn’t be doing,” said the professor. During a workshop led by Ali Ganjavian, Cofounder of Studio Banana, UK, participants were able to discover how to tap into the power of imagination and how to energise the spark of creativity. Participants were also able to explore futures and craft strategies in a workshop led by Per Kristiansen, Partner at Trivium, Denmark. Other workshops covered the art and science of colour communication, creative leadership – achieving design excellence, design, and mobility - reclaiming our cities and how to brainstorm like a designer. HKDC believes KODW workshops helped to foster exchanges and promote innovation and design growth channeled through the participants.
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