2024 Galleries

Galleries // 2016 Spark:Spring Concept // Safe Niños: Healing Tree

Safe Niños: Healing Tree

Winner - Bronze

Competition: Spark:Spring Concept
Designer: Alvin Oei
Design Type: student
Company / Organization / School: Designmatters at ArtCenter College of Design & Environmental Design Dept
Website: http://www.designmattersatartcenter.org/
Team Members: Dave Kim - Product Design Nicholas Jayanty - Interaction Design Lori Nishikawa - Product Design Su-Sun Kwak - Environmental Design Belle Lee - Illustration FACULTY ADVISORS Dan Gottlieb and Penny Herscovitch - Associate Professors, Environmental Design Stella Hernandez - Faculty, Environmental Design

Burn injuries in Latin America affect more than 7 million children annually. The damage can be long-lasting, and injuries may sometimes inhibit children's bodies from growing normally, with a rehabilitation process often over twenty years. Improving the healing process for kids who suffer from burns is an urgent global need, especially in areas with large populations living in poverty. How can we design treatment experiences that support op­timal healing for children suf­fering from severe burns and retain patient retention in a way that replaces fear and anxiety with curiosity and wonder? Healing Tree, a system of co-created interactive therapeutic play elements designed to reduce stress and support specific burn rehabilitation therapies. Developed with Coaniquem’s psychology, physical, occupational, and music therapists, the Healing Tree system of engaging therapeutic play elements supports: - Mood: improved mood & reduced stress through play with colorful animal characters in calming natural environments - Movement: the play elements engage children in physical and occupational therapy movements (based on studies of the benefits of physiologically enhancing play therapy) - Music: musical therapy play elements encourage emotional expression & songs help educate children about medical experiences