A design-led PhD study into Emergency Department futures

This report discusses a PhD study concerned with the future of Emergency Department (ED) waiting rooms, how these spaces might be experienced into the future and with the contribution that design research and practice might make to inspiring change for these experiences. It reflects on how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted this study in its final stages, leading to the development of an ‘exhibition in a box’ to enable remote speculative co-design. Outcomes of this work relate to the role of technology and user experiences in ED waiting rooms, how co-design might pivot in the face of a health crisis, and how collaborative thinking on health futures can occur at a distance.