Theme: Designing Future Health
The overall theme of Design4Health 2020, collectively chosen by the organising committee to explore the evolving role of design in shaping the future of health and care.
The Future Is Now
The overall theme of Design4Health 2020 was collectively chosen by the organising committee: Designing Future Health. When the call for submissions opened in 2019, no one could have foreseen how relevant and crucial this theme would become. The committee asked for submissions addressing questions such as: What will health look like in the future? How might current research trends translate into the future for design and health?
Before the global spread of COVID-19, extraordinary activities in the field of design for health had already been gaining momentum worldwide. The pandemic then amplified the crucial role that design could play for health, making it visible in communities and healthcare systems around the globe.
The organising committee had looked forward to welcoming the D4H community in Amsterdam on 1 July 2020. However, in April 2020, the difficult decision was taken not to proceed with the physical conference. Despite this, the request for papers continued and received a historically high response. A wide variety of topics were presented through the submitted papers, many describing work undertaken before the pandemic, while others directly addressed the challenges and opportunities that emerged from it.
Final Proceedings
The peer-reviewed proceedings of Design4Health 2020, published in four volumes, are available through Sheffield Hallam University. The collection includes 92 full papers and 24 abstracts.
Keynote Perspectives
Design4Health 2020 featured contributions from leading voices in the field of design and health. The conference chairs, representing DesignLab University of Twente, Lab4Living at Sheffield Hallam University, and their partner institutions, shared reflections on the state of the discipline and the road ahead.
These keynote perspectives addressed the urgency of bridging design research and healthcare practice, especially in light of a world changed by the pandemic. Speakers explored how design thinking could contribute to more resilient health systems, improved patient experiences, and stronger community engagement in health decision-making.
The conference also highlighted the importance of looking beyond immediate crises to consider long-term trends: the ageing population, the rise of personalised medicine, the growing role of data and artificial intelligence in clinical settings, and the need for sustainable, equitable approaches to health and wellbeing.
Community Collaboration
To stay connected despite the cancellation of the physical event, the organising committee opened a digital workspace for the D4H community. This collaborative platform enabled visual collaboration, allowing participants to share their thoughts, ideas and wishes on the role of design for health, both in the present and for the future.
The initiative reflected a core value of the Design4Health conference series: that meaningful progress in health design requires open dialogue across disciplines, cultures and career stages. Students, researchers, creative practitioners, health professionals and business leaders were all invited to contribute.
The conference chairs encouraged everyone to remain connected and to continue building on the momentum generated by the submitted papers and the shared vision of designing a healthier future. As the committee expressed: the future is now.