Focus on the practical question

Electronic patient records, wearables, apps, games, virtual reality, or social robots: many healthcare and welfare organizations have experimented with and invested heavily in eHealth applications in recent years. According to Job van ‘t Veer, however, it remains to be seen whether these investments actually lead to use by professionals, clients, and patients. In “Focus on the Practical Question,” he argues for human-oriented design. The design focuses not only on meaningful digital applications, but also, above all, on the integration of these applications into the practical context. From the start, Van ‘t Veer assigns users an active role in the design process that focuses on empathy and co-creation. A mindset that he passionately conveys to healthcare and welfare students through the study manual Ontwerpgericht werken voor (hbo) zorg-en welzijnsopleidingen [“Design-oriented working for (higher) healthcare and welfare education”].