Creative care: designing resources for those who have experienced trauma and their trusted others
Creators: name: BROWN, ALICE
Publisher: name: RMIT University
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 330310
subject: Interaction and experience design
classificationCode: 470102
subject: Communication technology and digital media studies

description: It has been found that those who experience trauma, and their trusted others such as friends and family, can experience a sense of growth after traumatic experiences. Psychology research has also identified many ways people can care for one another throughout the post-trauma journey beyond a therapy environment, potentially fostering posttraumatic growth. The highly individual and on-going nature of the post-trauma journey means that those who have experienced trauma, and their trusted others, require care that is individualised and responsive to changing needs. Many current designs focus on providing online supports in ways that limit conversation and expression, appropriating psychology interventions into digital formats, or monitoring wellbeing through data and biometrics. These existing approaches could benefit from stronger consideration for ongoing, dynamic support, and the involvement of those they trust to allow for contextualised care. This thesis explores how we might design resources that engage both those who have experienced trauma and their trusted others, to express their changing care needs and actions throughout the post-trauma journey, so that beyond simply coping they might experience posttraumatic growth.<br><br>
This thesis is driven by an iterative design process and takes form through a co-creative research methodology, influenced by Participatory Design at the intersection of Salutogenesis, and Research through Design. It includes three iterative design phases, which explore the designing of resources to support the creative expression of care needs among those who have experienced trauma and their trusted others, so that posttraumatic growth might be fostered. The study has been conducted with various individuals who are navigating challenging experiences or the post-trauma journey, including recently settled refugees, those using homelessness support services, and adults aged 18-35 from Brisbane, Australia. Reflection and critique of the three design phases -including participant engagement - leads to new concepts and considerations that benefit the field of design, in particular through the design of resources that aim to support the expression of care needs among people who have experienced trauma and their trusted others. Considerations include the lack of confidence people may have when expressing themselves creatively, and preferences to express care needs indirectly, subtly, or through allegory. This leads to the use of pre-illustrated visual metaphor as a means for supporting the comfortable, detailed and multi-faceted expression of care needs among those who trust each other. This thesis concludes by emphasising the potential in designing supports for the expression of care needs within trusted networks, rather than designing artifacts that instruct self-care, or specific, undynamic and decontextualised care actions.