In collaboration with PhD candidate Charlotte van Lotringen (University of Twente), 8D developed a card set to support healthcare professionals and clients in integrating smartwatches into lifestyle-oriented treatments in mental healthcare. The set encourages dialogue and reflection, and is currently used as a research tool to assess whether the intervention fosters a greater sense of compassion between practitioner and client.
Maarten likes to think along!
Mental healthcare has been under pressure for years. Digital tools are often seen as opportunities to relieve this pressure but can clash with the core human values of the field. Technology is often perceived as distant or impersonal, while practitioners place great value on genuine connection with their clients. This perception impedes the adoption of technical tools, even those that could potentially enhance care or ease workloads.
The project ‘Compassionate Technology in Mental Health Care’ therefore places the value of ‘compassion’ at the heart of the design and implementation of digital tools. In collaboration with mental health institutions and e-health developers, a team from the University of Twente explores what is needed for digital tools to actually support and strengthen human connection. By prioritizing compassion, the project aims to make technology more applicable to the mental healthcare context while contributing to more sustainable care.
ApproachCharlotte van Lotringen focused her research on the use of smartwatches in lifestyle-oriented group treatment, a technology already available in many institutions but still underused in practice. Through five co-design sessions with practitioners and clients, she explored what is required to meaningfully integrate these wearables into therapeutic practice in a way that strengthens compassion and the therapeutic relationship.
The sessions produced various prototypes, including posters, infographics, and conversation cards to help professionals initiate discussions about smartwatch use. Ultimately, the card set proved to be the most promising: an accessible and flexible tool that facilitates meaningful conversations about technology in care. After testing, Van Lotringen approached 8D for additional design support. We helped refine key design questions such as: How can we ensure inclusivity for clients without a smartwatch? How do we make the cards suitable for group settings? And how do we ensure clarity and visual calm? We applied the early stages of our social design methodology to guide this process.
8D designer Bas proposed adding discussion prompts to the cards, making them not just informative but also conversation starters. The result is a set that is flexibly deployable and adds value across various care contexts. Read more about this collaboration in our design and research interview series, featuring Charlotte van Lotringen.
Results
The SCED study, with the cardset as research tool, is currently ongoing. Initial baseline measurements have been completed, and the intervention involving the card set and smartwatch is now being tested. These results will serve as the foundation for further development and broader implementation. As soon as the results become publicly available, we will add them to this page.
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