Med+ Studio

Med+ posits that the space between disability and ability is highly contextual, that all technology is assistive and that health design is a form of activism and social justice. Students spend the semester working on one major project, through an intensive process of iterative research, prototyping and testing, in collaboration with a co-designer living with a disability / health challenge or with an external advisor with professional experience in the health sector. 

Throughout the semester, we invite guest speakers to our studio space to share perspectives and experience on topics such as living with a disability, design research, and bringing a product to market. We bring in guests from health and design fields for each major crit to offer feedback from their relevant and diverse professional experience (ex. MEC, GF Strong, Woke Design, BCIT Make+, Hatching Health and UBC Engineering). The semester culminates with the Health Design Showcase where students exhibit and present their work to the health design community.

Topics explored by students last year include: open source prosthetics x 3d printing, wearable tech x overdose response, zero waste x food shopping, wheelchair accessibility x camping, kitchen objects x limited upper limb mobility, lighting x ADHD, dementia x puzzles, hospital waiting rooms, etc.