HASANZ scholarship: Melody Chen

HASANZ scholarship: Melody Chen

Issue 207

MELODY CHEN

Product design engineer with Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand

Studying: Postgraduate Certificate in Human Factors and Ergonomics with AUT

I look at how we can solve problems in the hospital from a product perspective, but this also involves understanding the space and system the products interact with. I work directly with clinicians who have a problem they want to solve or an innovative solution they need help bringing to life. As an interdisciplinary team of designers, we seek to deeply understand a problem before going to the solution. We emphasise building trust with our users and use co-design and design thinking methods to create meaningful solutions.

 

The aspects of HFE that I find interesting are related to understanding how users make decisions in complex, high-stakes environments such as the hospital. From designing easy to use products that are intuitive and safe, to designing cognitive aids that reduce the mental load of nurses having to perform multiple tasks at once, the problems we see are challenging but rewarding to work on.

 

My study with AUT has expanded my thinking and exposed me to fields of research that have enriched my design process as an engineer. I’ve had the chance to network with influential folks in fields such as human factors in healthcare and in adjacent fields such as naturalistic decision making. It is a privilege to be able to work directly in the healthcare space and create change for staff, patients and whānau. I’m grateful for this chance to study in a field that has direct impact on my work and end users.

 

Balancing study, work and personal life has been a good challenge this year. It’s important to ensure balance by carving out time to exercise and stay active. The papers in my course have allowed us to be flexible in choosing to work on topics that complement our work really well, minimising content switching between work and study to the point where they are merging into one! I look forward to seeing where I can take my qualification next as it is helping me to see news ways of applying this discipline to my work in healthcare.

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