Emerging technologies have the potential to significantly enhance healthcare systems and patient experiences. However, integrating these innovations while incorporating the perspectives of both patients and care providers can be challenging. The Healthy Start ServiceLab seeks to address this issue. It is an innovative project dedicated to fostering participatory, people-centered health technology design. Its mission is to empower everyone—regardless of their background or role within healthcare systems—to actively participate in the decision-making processes surrounding the technologies they will ultimately adopt. To achieve this, the ServiceLab leverages cutting-edge media technologies and co-creative design methods, making healthcare innovation more democratic, inclusive, and impactful.

Proof of Concept ServiceLab

To test the idea of the ServiceLab in practice, a so-called Proof of Concept (PoC) was developed. This PoC served as an experimental space for evaluating a new screening tool that allows care providers to identify potential risks in expectant parents early on. Two environments were simulated: a living room and a consultation room. Within these settings, mothers, fathers, midwives, medical researchers, designers, and a professional actress participated in role-playing activities to explore different scenarios for integrating the tool into real-life healthcare services. This approach provided the opportunity to capture the perspectives and creative insights of both families and healthcare professionals. The findings were then shared with the tool’s developers to further refine its design.

Conclusion and follow-up

This project demonstrates that collaboration across disciplines, combined with the active involvement of patients and care providers in technology design, can be effectively supported by the ServiceLab methodology and facilities. In this way, the project contributes to a more successful integration of emerging technologies into healthcare systems.