Summary
Authors: Sarah Harris, Palak Gupta, and Naomi Censullo
Supervisor: Leandro Miletto Tonetto
Project type: Class project, Group project
Project duration: 8 weeks
Highlights
- The project focuses on enhancing the subjective well-being of children aged 6-8 during long-term hospitalization.
- It is a modular, customizable blanket called ‘Happy Hugs’ that allows children to express themselves and maintain a sense of normalcy.
- The design includes personalized patches that can be added over time, fostering connections between the child and their loved ones.
- Happy Hugs provides comfort, courage, and autonomy, making the hospital environment more familiar and less isolating for young patients.
- The project was developed through research and collaboration, including interviews with a pediatric patient and healthcare specialists.
Abstract
The Happy Hugs project aimed to enhance the well-being of children aged 6-8 during long-term hospitalization by designing a modular embroidered blanket that grows with the child. This blanket, customizable with patches created by loved ones, offers emotional comfort, fosters autonomy, and provides a sense of normalcy in a hospital setting. The design process involved a literature review, hospital observations, and interviews with a chronically ill pediatric patient, leading to the development of a solution that addresses both emotional and practical needs. The blanket helps children express themselves, stay connected with loved ones, and feel more at home in the hospital environment. Initial feedback indicated that Happy Hugs effectively reduces feelings of isolation, promotes emotional well-being, and transforms the impersonal hospital space into a more comforting and personalized environment. This project demonstrates how thoughtful design can significantly impact the emotional health of pediatric patients during challenging medical experiences.
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Extended Abstract
Objective
The objective of the Happy Hugs project was to design a playful and adaptable solution for children aged 6-8 years old, aimed at enhancing their subjective well-being during long-term hospitalization. The design sought to offer comfort, courage, and autonomy by incorporating familiar textiles and tactile elements, reflecting the children’s unique personalities, and facilitating connections with loved ones. The project focused on creating a sense of normalcy within the hospital environment, bridging the gap between the child’s everyday life and the clinical setting.
Design Process
The design process began with a comprehensive research phase, including a literature review to understand existing theories and studies on subjective well-being in pediatric care. Collaborations with a Child Life Specialist and a healthcare manager provided insights into pediatric patients’ specific needs and developmental stages. Observations at Children’s Hospital of Atlanta (CHOA) allowed the team to contextualize their design within the hospital environment. Interviews with a chronically ill pediatric patient further enriched the understanding of the emotional impact of hospitalization. Based on these findings, the team developed design criteria focused on modularity, tactile comfort, and sustainability. Various materials and techniques were explored to ensure the feasibility and adaptability of the design. The final concept, a modular embroidered blanket with customizable patches, was developed to provide emotional comfort and a sense of ownership to hospitalized children.
Results
Happy Hugs is a modular blanket designed to grow with pediatric patients, allowing them to add personalized patches created by their loved ones. This design addresses the emotional needs of hospitalized children by providing a sense of normalcy, continuity, and connection to the outside world. The customizable blanket empowers children to express themselves and stay connected with family and friends. Through an online platform, loved ones can collaborate on patch designs, which are quickly produced and embroidered on-site at the hospital. The process is simple: family and friends choose their individual patch themes and customize their designs with colors, messages, and embroidery styles. Once the patches are created, they are printed at the hospital and are ready for pickup in as little as one hour, allowing them to be added immediately to the blanket. The tactile materials and vibrant colors of the blanket enhance its emotional impact, transforming the hospital environment into a more personal and comforting space for the child. As the child grows and their experiences evolve, the blanket can change with them—patches can be added or removed to reflect new relationships, milestones, or personal growth. Initial assessment of Happy Hugs with professionals indicated that it has the potential to reduce feelings of isolation, provide emotional support, and enhance the overall hospital experience. The handmade, customizable nature of the blanket and its patches make it a cherished companion for the child’s healing journey. “Happy hugs. A little patch of life.”
Discussion
Hospitalization disrupts a child’s sense of normalcy, often leading to feelings of isolation and emotional discomfort. The Happy Hugs blanket addresses these challenges by offering a tangible connection to home and loved ones. The removable patches allow children to narrate their personal stories and express their evolving interests, fostering a sense of control and autonomy. The blanket’s design helps transform the impersonal hospital room into a more familiar and comforting space, promoting emotional well-being during a challenging time.
Conclusion
Happy Hugs represents a simple yet effective solution to the emotional challenges faced by children during long-term hospitalization. The blanket serves as a soft reminder of love and support, helping children maintain their identity and sense of normalcy in an otherwise clinical environment. The project demonstrates how thoughtful design can play a crucial role in enhancing the well-being of pediatric patients.
Acknowledgments
The designers would like to acknowledge Children’s Hospital of Atlanta, The HIVE at Georgia Tech, the pediatric patient who participated in the interviews (name omitted for privacy), the Child Life Specialist and the healthcare manager who provided valuable insights, and the AI tools Midjourney, ChatGPT, Photoshop AI, Gemini, and Freepik for their contributions to this project.