ABSTRACT
This chapter describes an applied media studies project that emerged in response to a set of conceptual problems surrounding the role of technology in doctor-patient communication. It shows how applied media studies can lead from theoretical problems in human-computer interaction to practice-based answers in technology design. The chapter also describes an improvised experiment in collaborative applied media studies that provided early insights about finding good partners, and formed the foundation for larger projects. It explores the ideation process that led to the formation of the interdisciplinary medical humanities media lab called the Medical Futures Lab. The chapter explains the "tooling up" process of acquiring translational skills for collaboration across different fields. It discusses efforts to create a reflective, discussion-centered medical humanities massive, open, online course called "Medicine in the Digital Age". Imagining a humanities-based lab that operated at the intersection of tech startups, research universities, medical schools, and media design firms.
