SEGD Singapore Event: Experiential Design for Mental Health
Advancements in the digital realm have made it possible to implement strategies that are all-encompassing and readily accessible. For the duration of 4.5 hours, the “Experiential Design for Mental Health” workshop by the Society of Experiential Graphic Design Singapore Chapter (SEGD) will invite attendees to design hybrid and phygital solutions that address Mental Health (anxiety).
The in-person, design-centric workshop will extend its participants’ reach to health-related professionals and ground-up communities. Attendees will be able to engage in a diverse mix of active participants which include: Drivers, consisting of predominantly people of the public sector or directly impacted by regulations. Enablers, defined as representatives of targeted Mental Wellness community groups. Do-ers, who are ground-up stewards making a difference in their capacity This convergence of top-down agencies and bottom-up initiatives will result in a holistic co- authored proposal meant to be received by relevant governing bodies.
Event Location
Ramboll Group
100 Amoy St, Singapore 069920 Singapore
SCHEDULE: September 29, 2023
2 PM – 2:15 PM – Welcome Note by Super Moderators (15 minutes)
An introductory note by SEGD Singapore Co- chairs, Olha Romaniuk and Yann Follain, and venue host representative as well as third Super Moderator, Andy Brahney, co-founder of SMART Futures at Ramboll, will kickstart the workshop. The sequence of the workshop beginning first with a World Cafe-styled discussion, to the final objective of a well-conceived proposal outline, will be detailed.
2:15 PM – 3:15 PM – Dynamic “World Cafe”Discussion (60 minutes)
Attendees will then break up into small groups of up to 7 active participants per table to commerce addressing the 4 questions by the Super Moderators. The small groups will rotate 4 times and the participants reshuffled at each round.
The four questions will be structured to initiate design provocations in the areas of:
1. Current healthcare operating infrastructures
2. Accessibility through sensory experiences and activations
3. User creative interaction as a positive recovery engagement
4. Optimizing spatial experiential value through reactive digital means
5. Anxiety/stress inducing factors in the built environment
6. Strategies to fill in the gaps within current approaches to designing spaces with considerations for mental health.
The group discussion will be guided by pre-selected Facilitating Moderators who are professionals in the Mental Health industry such as in the area of Psychiatric studies. In addition, Super Moderators will initiate preventive discussions in innovating strategies to fill the gaps in designing spaces with considerations for mental health. Responses will contribute to the next segment of the workshop.
3:15 PM – 3:35 PM – Active Break led by Facilitating Moderators (Light refreshments provided) (20 minutes)
During this, Super Moderators will collate the gathered responses to structure the 3 Main Challenges for the 2nd half of the workshop.
3:35 PM – 5:05 PM – Addressing the 3 Main Challenges (90 minutes)
Participants will form a total of 3 Teams that will be led by one Super Moderator and assisted by Facilitating Moderators. Based on the defined challenge, they will innovate solutions that exemplify the principles of “Human Interaction Design” which are: Human with Nature, Human-to-Human, Human to Technology.
Each team will be given about 30 min to explore solutions for the allocated challenge and formulate their quick-fire presentations for their designed solution. After which, each team will present their ideas in a 10 min elevated pitch + 10 min Q&A with the floor. The 3 presentations + Q&A will total to 60min.
5:05 PM – 5:25 PM – Active Break led by Facilitating Moderators (20 minutes)
In 20 minutes, Super Moderators will consolidate key findings and insights for the final portion of the workshop.
5:25 PM – 6:10 PM – Active Conclusions (45 minutes)
In line with the programming momentum of the workshop, Super Moderators will flash out the accumulated strategies for the participants; consensus and final inputs. These will contribute to the outline of the final proposal that will be sent to relevant governing bodies. The resultant proposal will demonstrate an aligned convergence of active ground-up stewardship with top-down policies to better initiate subsequent plans of action. This will inform and support implementations that resonate and serve the communities better.
6:10 PM – 6:30 PM – Additional Wrap-up time to address remaining questions and mini feedback/networking session.
* This workshop is designed to welcome everyone from varied backgrounds, and disciplines, and with different degrees of experiential design understanding. We have included in our list of Facilitating Moderators, Psychologists, and Medical Practitioners to be part of this workshop.
Speaker Bios
Olha Romaniuk is the SEGD Singapore Chapter Chair and a design director at George P. Johnson Experience Marketing. With a background in architecture, Olha Romaniuk has honed her spatial and environmental design skills working with architectural and exhibition design firms in the United States and Singapore. Currently, a design director at George P. Johnson Experience Marketing Singapore, Olha oversees projects in experiential design, events, attractions, cultural and commercial sectors in Singapore and the region.
An avid proponent of holistic approach to every design challenge, Olha believes in meaningful and purposeful solutions that go beyond the pure aesthetics or latest trends. She is inspired by designs that break the mold – whether it is through innovative space planning, creative storytelling, unique environmental design or simply through rethinking everyday objects.
Aside from being the creative lead at her practice, Olha is also a contributor to regional and international design publications, including Interior Design, Indesign, Tatler, Dwell, Design Anthology and others, writing primarily about architecture and design.
Yann Follain is an SEGD Singapore Chapter Co-chair, Managing Director and Head of Design of WY-TO Group, and the founder of WY-TO Singapore. He was named, together with Pauline Gaudry, co-founder of WY-TO architects in Paris, one of Europe’s most important and emerging young architects and designers in Europe 40 Under 40 for 2016 by The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.
He has built a rich multicultural experience from his formative years in Indonesia, France, and Singapore. Embracing multidisciplinary approaches to grow the Singapore practice has established Yann’s diverse expertise in sustainable architectural design, cultural curation, interpretative planning and exhibition design. As a result, he frequently speaks on design strategies relating to tropical sustainability, immersive cultural journeys, accessibility and inclusivity, regionally.
Together with his team, WY-TO received the Future-Maker award at the Beijing Global Innovation Conference, an Honorable Mention at the international Red Dot Design Competition in 2016 and a finalist at the INDE.Awards in 2017, 2018 and 2019. His festival directorship for the ArchiFest 2018 (Singapore Architecture Festival) was shortlisted for the 2020 President*s Design Award, Singapore’s highest design accolade. WY-TO also became the first Southeast Asia practice recognised by the global C40 Reinventing Cities competition in 2021, and a recipient of the Good Design Research Grant by DesignSingapore Council to conduct in-depth research on Designing a Framework towards Singapore’s Well-being Index in 2022.
Yann currently is one of the 5 curators of “Art in Transit” by Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA). He is also a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) since 2017, and an Associate Member of the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) since 2013. Previously he was a member of the Advisory & Commissioning Panel for the Public Art Trust within the National Arts Council in Singapore.
ANDY BRAHNEY
As co-founder of SMART Futures, Andy has been instrumental in launching innovative, sustainable ventures across a range of high-profile projects, including forward looking healthcare master plans, mixed-use developments and airports. His out-of-the-box methodology has carved a path for user-friendly designs in SMART buildings and cities, and his hands-on approach with stakeholders fosters effective and meaningful KPIs.
With sustainability always in mind, Andy employs technology to boost efficiency and encourage sustainable choices using behavioral design. His goal is simple yet ambitious: inspire everyone to work together towards sustainable communities, making sustainability the core of outstanding user experiences.
Driven by a love for innovation and an interest in cutting-edge technologies, Andy ensures he stays up-to-date in his field. This forward-thinking approach helps his designs stay flexible and ready for the future. Balancing ideas with real-world application, he brings together technology and people, contributing to a greener, more liveable society.
Venue Sponsor: Ramboll Group
Please reach out to the SEGD Signapore Chapter Chairs at singapore-chapter@segd.org with any questions.