Title
Making as Expression: Informing Design with People with Complex Communication Needs through Art Therapy.
Abstract
There is a growing emphasis on designing with people with diverse health experiences rather than designing for them. Yet, collaborative design becomes difficult when working with individuals with health conditions (e.g., stroke, cancer, abuse, depression) that affect their ability or willingness to engage alongside researchers and verbally express themselves. The present paper analyzes how the clinical practice of art therapy engages these individuals in co-creative, visual expression of ideas, thoughts, and experiences. Drawing on interviews with 22 art therapists and over two years of field work in a clinical setting, we detail how art therapists view making as expression for people with complex communication needs. Under this view, we argue that art therapy practice can inspire collaborative design engagements by understanding materials as language, creating space for expression, and sustaining expressions in a broader context. We discuss practical and ethical implications for design work involving individuals with complex communication needs.
Year
DOI
Venue
2018
10.1145/3173574.3173925
CHI
Keywords
Field
DocType
Art therapy, collaborative design, communication, health
Collaborative design,Expression (mathematics),Computer science,Engineering ethics,Clinical Practice,Art therapy,Human–computer interaction
Conference
ISBN
Citations 
PageRank 
978-1-4503-5620-6
3
0.43
References 
Authors
69
4
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Amanda Lazar113917.22
Jessica L. Feuston2223.91
Caroline Edasis3362.41
Anne Marie Piper458647.70