Profile and subject areas
Profile
The Swiss Center for Design and Health is a national technology competency center and a research institution of international significance. At the interface of design and health, it combines interdisciplinary university research and private industry in order to facilitate knowledge and technology transfer. Founded in 2019 as a public private partnership, it is sustained by public and private partners from politics, industry and science. The SCDH encompasses research, teaching and further education, as well as competent practical mentorship from the development of an idea, to prototyping and market launch. The SCDH currently employs eleven people and is based in Nidau near Biel/Bienne. The Swiss Federal Government and the Canton of Bern are currently co-financing the development of the centre, whose aim to be self-sustaining by 2030.
Subject areas
We research, teach and develop, network and advise in these areas, among others:
- Architecture and interior design of general and specialised healthcare facilities: health-promoting reconstruction measures that take into account the needs and sensitivities of different user groups
- Signalling (orientation systems, wayfinding, etc.) for visitors, relatives, staff and specific patient groups (e.g., persons suffering from dementia)
- Product design and product solutions for the healthcare sector, including in the field of medical technology: support of design processes during product development through to prototyping and field testing
- User Interface and Human-Technology Interaction
- Software solutions for different stakeholders
- Communication design: from patient education to medical patient information programmes
- Family doctors and practices
Intelligent software solutions for GP training
Interior design for practices - Analyses and developments for health and autonomy promoting housing in old age – at home and in specialised institutions
- Design for strengthening health in the workplace
- Process support in urban planning with a focus on Healthy Cities