RESEARCH

Medicine × Design Project

Design brings solutions to the problem in clinical scenes and dramatically improves the quality of medical care. However, educational programs that collaborate between design and medicine are limited. In this project, we develop and implement a problem-solving educational program in the medical field at Kyushu University, collaborating the Graduate School of Design, Graduate School of Medical Sciences and Hospital. We will systematize this program as the educational method by clarifying the quality of generated ideas and educational outcomes. Our project will contribute to medical safety, work style reform of medical professionals and improve patient quality of life.

Program
　 Medicine × Design Practice Class 　

It is held as a year-round project-style class at the Graduate School of Design, which is led by faculty members who specialize in product design, and digital content and games. Participants are graduate students and researchers from the Graduate School of Design, the Graduate School of Integrated Frontier Sciences, the Faculty of Medical Sciences and Hospital. Participants pick up issues through hospital tours, and sort them out at discovery workshops. In the idea generation workshop, all participants discuss each issue, create prototype to solve the selected issue, and give presentation. Even after the class, we continue to develop the prototype for research and clinical practice.

　Medicine × Design Collaboration Seminar 　

The aim of this seminar is to deepen the understanding and develop this field by introducing cutting-edge initiatives related to collaboration between medicine and design (art and technology), as well as a human resource development program that links the two fields being implemented at Kyushu University.

Medicine × Design Practice Class

FY2025

Studio Project Subjects/ General Medicine

Teachers in charge：Naoshige Akita, Hiroyuki Matsuguma, Yasuyuki Hirai, Shunta Tomimatsu, Kuriko Kudo
Medical participants：Takayuki Fujii(Neurology), Kazuya Okazawa(Rehabilitation)

Achievement
  • Work：Cue Turn
  • Clinical department：Neurology
  • Work：Mag Shoes
  • Clinical department：Neurology
  • Work：Assistance Dog Attachment
  • Clinical department：Neurology
  • Work：Two Canes for Walking Gracefullly
  • Clinical department：Neurology
  • Work：Sound Shoes
  • Clinical department：Neurology

Presentation, etc

Presentation

Outcomes of Design Thinking and Project-Based Learning: Mixed Methods Study
Kuriko Kudo, Shintaro Ueda, Naoshige Akita, Hiroyuki Matsuguma, Koji Nagata, Tatsuro Tajiri, Hiroaki Niiro, Tomohiko Moriyama, Makoto Kikukawa
The 57th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Medical Education, 2025.7.25-27

Medical x Design Project in Maternal and Child Health
Shunta Tomimatsu
SocialTech Summit 2025, 2025.10.02-04

Paper

Unpacking professional vision: a cognitive task analysis of illustrators’ liminal knowledge
M. Oya-Haragi, K.Kudo, T.Oga, T. Kiuchi
Cogent Arts & Humanities, 12(1)

FY2024

Studio Project Subjects/ General Medicine

Teachers in charge：Naoshige Akita, Hiroyuki Matsuguma, Yasuyuki Hirai, Shunta Tomimatsu, Kuriko Kudo
Medical participants：Kouji Nagata, Junko Miyata (Pediatric Surgery)

Achievement
  • Work：Digital picture book and game for preparation
  • Clinical department：Pediatric Surgery
  • Work：Decoration for pediatric surgery unit
  • Clinical department：Pediatric Surgery
  • Work：Robot and stuffed toy for operation room
  • Clinical department：Pediatric Surgery

Presentation, etc

Paper

Framework for a problem-solving educational program integrating medicine and design disciplines at a Japanese university
Kudo K, Akita N, Matsuguma H, Tomimatsu S, Hirai Y, Moriyama T
Design Science. 2025;11:e3. doi:10.1017/dsj.2024.50

Presentation

Impact of Design Studies in Maternal and Child Health
Kuriko Kudo
Innovative Approaches in Maternal & Child Health (MCH) Around the Developing World, SocialTech Summit 2024, 2024.08.29

FY2023

Studio Project Subjects

Teachers in charge：Naoshige Akita, Hiroyuki Matsuguma, Yasuyuki Hirai, Kuriko Kudo
Medical participants：Kouji Nagata, Junnosuke Maniwa, Junko Miyata (Pediatric Surgery),Kimiyo Kikuchi、Yoko Sato (Health Sciences)、Islam Rafiqul Maruf (Medical Information Center)

Achievement
  • Work：Product for outpatient waiting spaces
  • Clinical department：Pediatric Surgery
  • Work：Application for outpatient waiting
  • Clinical department：Pediatric Surgery
  • Presentation：Service Design for Enhancing Patient Waiting Experience in Pediatric Surgery Department: A Case Study of digital intervention design at Kyushu University Hospital
    Junsheng Qiu, Zachary Arani, Naoshige Akita, Hiroyuki Matsuguma, Shunta Tomimatsu, Yasuyuki Hirai,Satoru Tokuhisa, Kudo Kuriko, Nagata Kouji, Maniwa Junnosuke, Miyata Junko, Tajiri Tatsuro
    The 61st Annual Congress of the Japanese Society of Pediatric Surgeons, 2024.05.29-31
  • Work：Graphics in pre and postnatal checkups
  • Clinical department：Health Sciences, Medical Information Center
  • Work：Application for pre and postnatal checkups
  • Clinical department：Health Sciences, Medical Information Center
Presentation, etc

Presentation

Prototype design of tools and containers for portable health clinic services in Bangladesh
Naoshige Akita
Kyushu University Institute for Asian and Oceanian Studies Brown Bag Seminar, 2024.12.4

Self-assessment of a Problem-solving Educational Program by Collaboration of Medicine and Design in Japanese University
Kuriko Kudo, Naoshige Akita, Shunta Tomimatsu, Hiroyuki Matsuguma, Yasuyuki Hirai, Tomohiko Moriyama
The 71st Annual Conference of JSSD, 2024.6.21-23

FY2022

Studio Project Subjects

Teachers in charge：Naoshige Akita, Hiroyuki Matsuguma, Yasuyuki Hirai, Kuriko Kudo
Medical participants：Takayuki Fujii, Shoko Fukumoto, Ezgi Ozdemir (Neurology), Kinuko Nagayoshi (General Surgery)

Achievement
  • Work：Information design for stoma patients
  • Clinical department：General Surgery
  • Work：Design for the collection of patients' voices
  • Clinical department：General Surgery
  • Work：Serious games for rehabilitation of patients with intractable neurological diseases
  • Clinical department：Neurology
  • Work：Product for solving wiring problems of hospitalized patients
  • Clinical department：Neurology
  • Work：Writing support product for patients with intractable neurological diseases
  • Clinical department：Neurology
  • Work：Proactive makeup therapy product for patients with intractable neurological diseases
  • Clinical department：Neurology
Book

Improving the Quality of Life of Patients Living with Neurological Diseases Through Design Thinking
Shunta Tomimatsu, Takayuki Fujii, Naoshige Akita, Hiroyuki Matsuguma, Melanie Sarantou, Yasuyuki Hirai & Kuriko Kudo
Service Design, Creativity, and Innovation in Healthcare, Springer, 31 December 2024

FY2021

Strategic Architect Project A・B
Strategic Experience Project A・B

Teachers in charge：Naoshige Akita, Hiroyuki Matsuguma
Medical participants：Nobuko Hashiguchi, Miharu Matsumoto, Norie Nakajima (Nursing), Shiho Tajiri (Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery), Saori Hayashi (General Surgery)

Achievement
  • Work：Warm water dispenser for nursing (hair washing)
  • Clinical department：School of Health Sciences (University)
  • Work：Oral examination table for infants
  • Clinical department：Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
  • Work：Mouth exercise game for children with articulation disorder
  • Clinical department：Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Medicine × Design Collaboration Seminar

The Fifth Medicine × Design Collaboration Seminar "The future opened up by the collaboration of medicine and design/art"

  • Date: 2025.11.05
  • Special Lecture:
    Dr. Tsutomu Kikuchi
    Director, Kanazawa Nishi Hospital(Kanazawa, Japan)
    Anna Lisa Martin-Niedecken
    Professor, Zurich University of the Arts
    Director, Institute for Design Research & Digital Health Design Living Lab
    Martin Meier
    Founder, Design Director, Intention.design GmbH
    Ex-IDEO Design Director

The Fourth Medicine × Design Collaboration Seminar "The future opened up by the collaboration of medicine and design/art"

  • Date: 2024.11.08
  • Special Lecture:
    Makiko Haragi, PhD.
    Postdoctoral researcher, Baltic Film, Media and Arts School, Tallinn University, Esthonia

The Third Medicine × Design Collaboration Seminar "The future opened up by the collaboration of medicine and design/art"

  • Date: 2023.11.06
  • Special Lecture:
    Nopphol Pausawasdi, PhD.
    Assistant Professor, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand
    Hiroaki Oishi
    Associate Professor, Department of Design Informatics, Musashino Art University

The Second Medicine × Design Collaboration Seminar "The future opened up by the collaboration of medicine and design/art"

  • Date: 2022.11.07
  • Special Lecture:
    Hirofumi Seo, MD.,PhD.
    President & CEO, SCIEMENT, Inc.
    Zilong LI, PhD.
    Assistant Professor, Department of Industrial Design, School of Design, Hunan University, China

The First Medicine × Design Collaboration Seminar “The future opened up by the collaboration of medicine and design/art”

  • Date : 2021.11.11
  • Special Lecture:
    Yoshihiro Kimata, MD., PhD.
    Professor, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University
    Etsuo Genda, PhD.
    Professor Emeritus, Kyushu University and Professor, He's University