Mobility Design Research 

A design research project carried out in collaboration with The Gilead Community Service Center (an organization that provides housing, clinical support, and skill training to adults who experience mental health conditions). 
 
Their van service, which takes patients to and from their appointments, was inefficient and causing its riders discomfort. We went on van rides, spoke to patients, mapped out the route, and created soundscapes. We quickly learned that many of the patients did not enjoy talking about the van due to the stigmas around not being able to drive, forcing us to come up with innovative ways to conduct research while maintaining patients’ agency.

Through speculative design activities, we found that sound is one of the key senses that structures the van experience, as many of the clients have mental health conditions that make them highly sensitive to sound. We set out to explore the following question:
 
How might we design a transportation experience that recognizes each patient's unique auditory needs? 

Scroll through the case study below!