Caroline Lu is a researcher and designer at Mayo Clinic.
Those of you who don’t know what Mayo Clinic is, it is a non-profilt organization that provides a medical practice and medical research group. And you ask how a designer could be working for Mayo Clinic? Caroline said few years ago IDEO established Mayo Clinic’s Center for Innovation (CFI). They probably believed that there are ways to find and solve a problem that creative minds can do :D
At IDSA conference, Caroline shared how a designer/researcher involved in the process and progressed to find a solution. She has begun with her research state. We all know as a designer that research carries big weight in part of designing. As she talked about her research and how emotional it is… how people reacts…. What all the doctors have to go through…. I started to tear up during her first ten minutes into the presentation ;-;
I am not going to talk about everything. Her solution? It was genius! So simple but innovative! You can read her case story at Core 77. “Case Study: Designing An EMR For Small Family Medicine Practices, by Caroline Lu”
During the celebration that night, I had a chance to talk to her. First thing I said was, “I tried not to cry during your presentation!” Her face was lighted up. “ I learned that every field needs a designer, and there are a way to find a solution in creative way.” Then she thanked me. She was a humble but brave woman. She told me, she tried not to cry and tear up, and it shows that you are weak. We, as women, are very emotional. Most of time, it is good thing but we have to try not to overcome by the overflowing emotion especially in front of patients. Lot of people freak out when someone is crying…you know :)
There aren’t many female designers out there. But a woman like Caroline Lu inspires lot of young designers and students encourage that there are many fields that women need to involve. Using emotional state in ours, we can design something that will move other people.
There are several things I learned and decided.
I learned that you may use your emotional state to find a problem and solve a creative solution. Designers not only can design a pretty, innovative, and futuristic thing, but also can help people, even in medical field (duh!)
Now I do want to design something that is an emotionally help. I want to design something that is an emotionally desire. I don’t want to be a designer who makes garbage.
