Visual aspects of the pandemic. A blog by the Health Care Communication Design research group at Bern University of the Arts
Invisible dangers are difficult to respond to, especially so at the moment with the COVID-19 virus. Visualisations make viruses easier to picture so that they do not remain faceless assailants. Information design that can be easily understood is also required for corresponding containment measures to be communicated successfully. Using the title “Learning from Corona”, the interdisciplinary Health Care Communication Design (HCCD) working group from Bern, Switzerland, launched a research blog in mid-March which publishes posts about design-related and visual aspects of the current pandemic. The spectrum ranges from crisis communication to the influence of design on the functionality and efficiency of intensive care units and the working conditions and routines of healthcare staff. Interviews and posts discuss, for example, “How design can improve work in crisis situations”, how the creative potential of as many people as possible can be used for solutions in exceptional situations, and the factors that foster the development of innovations. The HCCD group at Bern University of the Arts is made up of researchers from design and architecture, business and economics, health informatics and nursing. The group has been involved in interdisciplinary projects on questions regarding the impact of design in healthcare since 2007.
