Designing for Dialogue: Exploring support in design teams through conversation and reflection

Abstract

In today’s fast-paced and increasingly individualistic world, feelings of loneliness and social isolation are becoming more prevalent. For students, navigating group projects can be challenging, not just academically, but also emotionally. Working closely with peers can bring about pressures to maintain a professional front, leaving little room for open conversations about personal struggles or support needs.

Recognizing the growing issues of loneliness and social disconnection in academic environments, the Support Board was developed to foster reflection, open communication, and mutual support within student teams. This project, focused on the Industrial Design Engineering (IDE) faculty at TU Delft, aims to create safe spaces within teams where students can reflect on their support needs, communicate those needs, and offer support to one another. By encouraging dialogue around support-seeking and support-giving behaviors, the Support Board seeks to improve team cohesion and promote a more empathetic and supportive culture within teams, ultimately enhancing both individual mental well-being and team dynamics. This lead to the following design goal:

Increase mental health of IDE students by developing a tool which helps create a supportive (team) environment and, in that way seeks to improve team cohesion

Through an iterative Research through Design approach, the project went through multiple phases of development, testing, and refinement. Initial research highlighted the need for interventions that encourage students to reflect on and articulate their support needs in a structured yet accessible manner. The Support Board addresses these needs by incorporating recognizable archetypes, support tokens, and guided reflection exercises to help team members understand their roles in offering and seeking support.