PI: Prof. Dr. Christoph Meinel

Abstract

The project Tele-Board MED brings design thinking work equipment into medical settings to promote patient-doctor cooperation at eye level. Its first domain of application is behaviour psychotherapy. Tele-Board MED is a digital whiteboard system which supports diverse medical inter-actions. In behaviour psychotherapy it can also support design thinking like problem solving sessions.

In the next project year we would like to build on the idea of the “media equation”: Humans treat and perceive me-dia such as computers, television and (presumably) Tele-Board MED like other human beings. According to that perspective, Tele-Board MED can come into play as an additional team member next to patient and doctor or therapist.

Interestingly, the character and role of that machine team member is not fixed. It can be chosen according to the needs of other team members. E.g., with the correspond-ing use of features, Tele-Board MED can figure as a non-judgmental archivist who simply documents all team activ-ities. Alternatively, by using other features, Tele-Board MED can be a pushy timekeeper. Or, with the help of mo-bile sensors, it could take on a caring role by watching over the energy and stress level of its team.

We would like to explore the changing interaction patterns with such a flexible “joker” team member and see how it changes team outcomes – such as healing in therapy.