Interaction - Bachelor

Threaded Community

Threaded Community supports elderly long-term spinal unit patients in recovery limbo through a bedside Reflective Kit and a communal Collaborative Board. Using co-design, the project encourages gentle emotional expression and creativity, transforming the hospital environment into a space where patients can reflect, share their stories, and feel supported through meaningful connection.

Lucy Rose

Contextualisation

Elderly Australians are increasingly experiencing extended hospital stays due to falls, spinal injuries, and age-related physical decline. Patients aged 85+ now have some of the highest rates of hospitalisation from slips, trips, and low-impact trauma and these numbers continue to rise as the population ages. While medically stable, many of these patients enter a phase of “recovery limbo”: a prolonged period where physical progress slows and emotional wellbeing becomes essential. However, hospital systems often prioritise clinical efficiency over human-centred communication and emotional engagement, leaving patients feeling isolated, unseen, and disempowered in their own recovery.

Interactivity

Threaded Community integrates layered forms of interactivity to meet patients where they are cognitively, physically, and emotionally. The bedside kit supports private reflection through mood mapping, journaling prompts, and sensory cues such as music to assist emotional regulation. At a social level, the communal board invites shared input through tactile gestures such as threading wool, adding notes, and contributing visual marks that build a collective narrative. These gentle, low-barrier interactions foster agency, reduce isolation, and transform passive waiting time into opportunities for expression, connection, and reflection during long hospital recovery.

Reflection Kit

The Reflective Kit hangs within reach at the patient’s bedside, allowing for independent or shared use. It includes activities such as emotional mapping with assorted stickers, reflection prompts, and personal journaling that help patients express how they feel, recall meaningful memories, and reconnect with their sense of self. It can also be adapted for private reflection, ensuring comfort and control over personal expression.

Collaborative Board

The Collaborative Board extends this reflection into a communal space, where patients can contribute to a shared artwork by adding coloured wool strands or notes to emotion-based prompts. This collective display visually represents the ward’s shared experiences and fosters empathy and understanding among patients, families, and staff.

Inspiration

Inspired by Keith Smith (Lucy’s grandpa) and the incredible progress he has made throughout his ongoing recovery journey, now over 100 days in hospital.

Lucy Rose

Lucy is a final-year Design (Interaction) and Business (Marketing) student. She blends creativity with strategy to craft user-centred experiences. With empathy as her foundation, she is continually exploring how design can solve real-world problems in meaningful ways.