Tactile Tools

Research Background
As an advocate for human-centred solutions, Leah Heiss sought to address systemic problems facing national and global health care. Wanting to offer a way to help patients experiencing challenging life conditions, Heiss sought ways to open up conversations around improved changes to healthcare processes. Tactile Tools is a workshop method aiding organisations to collectively problem solve. The method provides unique ways for a range of participants including patients, healthcare workers and hospital administration to address complex issues and map the lived experience of health journeys. In a non-hierarchical format, it explores goals, roadblocks, workarounds, and pathways, while empathising with the individuals who are seeking care.

Research Contribution
Tactile Tools has supported social change by assisting government organisations, NGOs and healthcare providers to: understand acquired brain injury; develop new models of care for residential treatment of eating disorders and depression; improve cancer care; and redesign end-of-life experience. The methodology also informed Victoria’s Voluntary Assisted Dying guidelines. Heiss used the method to bring together participants across 8 countries as part of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) “Design for Impact” project, to investigate the way design can improve the lived experience and uptake of WHO Guidelines across developing nations. Heiss also used the method to co-design Victoria’s Integrated Care Statewide System for mental health and addiction with Turning Point.

Research Significance
Tactile Tools was awarded the highly prestigious 2021 Good Design Award - Gold for Design Research. It was a Finalist in the Victorian Premier’s Design Awards for Service Design. Heiss has been invited to present Tactile Tools to the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia and Harvard’s Graduate Design School. It is being used to develop the inputs for a Guidelines Design Toolkit for WHO, to be distributed globally.