Design Methods for Wellbeing (TU Delft & Tongji)

Design Methods for Wellbeing: TU Delft & Tongji Approaches

Leading design institutions have developed complementary methodologies for wellbeing-centered design. TU Delft (Delft University of Technology, Netherlands) emphasizes value-driven, participatory, and ethics-focused design. Tongji University (Shanghai, China) contributes emotional design, experiential mapping, and cultural resonance. Together, they provide comprehensive, evidence-based design practice.

TU Delft: Design for Values & Ethics

Design for Values (DfV) Framework

Core Principle: Values (moral principles like autonomy, justice, care) should be explicitly embedded in design, not assumed or left to chance.

The DfV Process

1. Value Identification

   • Stakeholder workshops to surface moral values relevant to design
   • Distinguish values from interests (values are enduring principles; interests are situational preferences)
   • Map value pluralism (multiple legitimate values in tension)
   • Question: "What principles matter to you? What would be wrong with this design?"

2. Value Operationalization

   • Translate abstract values into concrete design criteria
   • Value → Functional Requirements → Design Specifications
   • Example: "Autonomy" → "Users can opt-out" → "Toggle for all tracking features"

3. Value Realization

   • Ensure design actually manifests values through implementation
   • Audit code, interfaces, policies for value alignment
   • Identify where values conflict and make intentional trade-offs

4. Value Validation

   • Test with stakeholders whether design reflects stated values
   • Gather feedback on unintended consequences
   • Refine based on lived experience

Wellbeing-Relevant Values in Design

Stakeholder Engagement & Participatory Design

TU Delft Model of Participation:

• Inform: Share information about design decisions
• Consult: Ask for input on options (bottom-up)
• Collaborate: Work together on problem-solving
• Empower: Transfer decision-making authority to stakeholders

Implementation:

1. Stakeholder Mapping

   • Identify all affected groups (users, caregivers, communities, regulators)
   • Distinguish power dynamics and interests
   • Plan engagement appropriate to each group

2. Co-design Workshops

   • Prepare design space with tools and materials
   • Facilitate group ideation without hierarchy
   • Document ideas visually and textually
   • Iterate on concepts with group feedback

3. Democratic Experimentation

   • Prototype multiple design directions
   • Stakeholders experience possibilities
   • Vote or consensus on preferred direction
   • Discuss reasons and concerns

4. Ongoing Feedback Loops

   • Don't end participation after workshops
   • Regular check-ins during implementation
   • Support for adaptive use and feedback

Circular Design & Systems Thinking

TU Delft Frame: Design doesn't exist in isolation; it's embedded in social, environmental, and economic systems. Sustainable wellbeing design considers lifecycle impacts and circular flows.

Questions:

• What materials and resources does this design consume?
• What happens at end-of-life?
• Does design reinforce or challenge unsustainable patterns?
• Who bears environmental/​social costs?
• How does design contribute to collective wellbeing?

Tongji University: Emotional Design & Experience

Emotional Design Theory

Foundation: Donald Norman's emotional design (visceral, behavioral, reflective levels) + cultural context

Three Levels:

1. Visceral Design (Aesthetic, Immediate)

   • Color, form, typography, sound
   • Evokes instant emotional response
   • Cultural specificity matters (colors, symbols)
   • Example: Warm colors for comfort vs. cool for calm

2. Behavioral Design (Function, Experience)

   • How well does it work?
   • Is it intuitive and responsive?
   • Does interaction flow feel natural?
   • Example: Smooth animations feel more pleasurable than jarring transitions

3. Reflective Design (Meaning, Identity)

   • Does it align with self-image and values?
   • Does it tell a meaningful story?
   • Does it enable identity expression?
   • Example: Customization features allow self-representation

Experience Mapping & Emotional Journey

Tongji Method: Create rich, multi-sensory maps of user experience including emotional dimension

Experience Mapping Process

1. Context Definition

   • Specific user scenario or journey phase
   • Environmental factors (physical space, time, social context)
   • User state (stressed, curious, confident)

2. Touchpoint Identification

   • Every interaction point with system or product
   • Include pre-experience (anticipation) and post-experience (memory)
   • Formal (interface) and informal (word-of-mouth) touchpoints

3. Emotional Resonance Mapping

   • For each touchpoint: What emotion is likely?
   • What sensory elements contribute?
   • What meaning is conveyed?
   • Is emotional impact intentional?

4. Cultural Translation

   • Emotional resonance varies by culture
   • Test with representative users from target culture
   • Adapt visceral design (colors, symbols, music) appropriately
   • Consider values across cultural contexts

Emotional Journey Visualization

Create multi-layer maps showing:

• Timeline: Sequence of activities/​touchpoints
• Emotional Arc: Plotted highs/​lows of emotional valence
• Sensory Experience: What user sees, hears, feels, smells, tastes
• Meaning: Narrative significance and identity connection
• Pain/​Delight Points: Where experience breaks down or shines

Co-creation & Participatory Prototyping

Tongji Focus: Users aren't just informants; they're creative partners in defining meaningful experiences

Techniques

1. Generative Sessions

• Participants create collages, drawings, physical prototypes
• Non-designers can express tacit, embodied knowledge
• Conversation emerges from making, not interviews

2. Role-play & Bodystorming

• Act out desired future scenarios
• Use body and gesture to explore possibilities
• Reveals emotional and embodied dimensions

3. Prototype Co-refinement

• Bring rough prototypes; participants modify and iterate
• Build in public; refine with ongoing feedback
• Participants see their ideas realized

4. Cultural Workshops

• Explore cultural narratives and values
• Create emotionally resonant design within cultural context
• Avoid cultural appropriation; build authentic resonance

Experiential Prototyping

Goal: Create full sensory experience of proposed design for evaluation and refinement

Stages:

1. Spatial Prototyping

   • Create physical mockups of user environment
   • Test how design feels in situ
   • Evaluate ergonomics, sensory qualities, social dynamics

2. Temporal Prototyping

   • Experience design over time, not snapshot
   • How does experience evolve? Does novelty wear off?
   • Does design support sustained wellbeing?

3. Multimodal Prototyping

   • Incorporate sound, haptics, scent, temperature
   • Not just visual/​interaction design
   • Full sensory experience informs meaning-making

4. Social Prototyping

   • Test how design affects relationships and communities
   • Who feels included/​excluded?
   • Does design foster belonging or isolation?

Integration: TU Delft + Tongji Approach

Unified Wellbeing Design Process

Phase 1: Value & Experience Framing (TU Delft + Tongji)

• Identify stakeholders and their values (TU Delft)
• Explore emotional dimensions and cultural narratives (Tongji)
• Co-define design brief with stakeholders
• Create aspirational vision for wellbeing outcomes

Phase 2: Discovery & Empathy (TU Delft + Tongji)

• Participatory stakeholder workshops (TU Delft)
• Ethnographic immersion in user contexts (TU Delft)
• Emotional journey mapping (Tongji)
• Generative co-creation sessions (Tongji)

Phase 3: Ideation & Concept Development (TU Delft + Tongji)

• Multi-directional ideation respecting value pluralism (TU Delft)
• Emotional resonance brainstorming (Tongji)
• Scenario development with cultural specificity (Tongji)
• Ethical trade-off analysis (TU Delft)

Phase 4: Prototyping & Experience Design (Tongji + TU Delft)

• Experiential prototyping for emotional qualities (Tongji)
• Value operationalization in design (TU Delft)
• Multimodal and temporal prototyping (Tongji)
• Stakeholder feedback loops (TU Delft)

Phase 5: Evaluation & Refinement (TU Delft + Tongji)

• Measure value realization through lived experience (TU Delft)
• Assess emotional resonance and cultural fit (Tongji)
• Qualitative research-through-design (Chapter 3)
• Psychometric validation of wellbeing outcomes (Chapter 2)

Phase 6: Implementation & Adaptive Use (TU Delft + Tongji)

• Co-implement with stakeholders (TU Delft)
• Support for emergent meanings and cultural adaptation (Tongji)
• Monitor for unintended consequences (TU Delft)
• Sustained engagement and relationship (Tongji)

Practical Tools & Workshops

Values Card Sort

Tool: Cards with values (autonomy, justice, care, etc.) Activity:

1. Arrange cards by importance to you
2. Discuss tensions when values conflict
3. Prioritize for design Output: Shared values framework

Emotional Touchpoint Audit

Activity:

1. Create journey map of current experience
2. Rate emotional valence at each touchpoint (-5 to +5)
3. Identify where design could increase positive emotions
4. Note where comfort conflicts with growth

Stakeholder Power Mapping

Activity:

1. List all stakeholders
2. Plot on axes: Power (to affect outcomes) vs. Interest (in outcomes)
3. Engage high-power, high-interest groups intensively
4. Ensure voice of vulnerable groups despite low power

Values-to-Design Translation

Process:

• Value (e.g., Autonomy) →
• Design Principle (e.g., "User control over defaults") →
• Functional Requirement (e.g., "Settings allow turning off recommendations") →
• Implementation (e.g., Toggle in preferences, default OFF)

Emotional Resonance Testing

Method:

1. Present design to representative users
2. Rate emotional response: visceral (visual), behavioral (usability), reflective (meaning)
3. Explain ratings: "What made it feel that way?"
4. Identify cultural/​individual variations

Wellbeing Design Principles Derived

From TU Delft

1. Design for Plural Values: Acknowledge competing values; make trade-offs transparent
2. Participatory Ethics: Involve affected stakeholders in defining what's "good"
3. Systemic Responsibility: Consider lifecycle, externalities, collective impact
4. Transparency by Design: Help users understand decision-making and data use
5. Democratic Governance: Enable stakeholder input on design evolution

From Tongji

1. Emotional Authenticity: Design for genuine feeling, not manufactured sentiment
2. Cultural Resonance: Honor local meanings and emotional associations
3. Multisensory Experience: Engage beyond visual/​interaction; include sound, haptics, spatial
4. Temporal Richness: Design for sustained meaning-making, not just novelty
5. Identity Expression: Enable users to represent authentic selves

Integrated Principles

1. Wellbeing as Stakeholder Definition: Not designer imposition—emerge through dialogue
2. Values-Aligned Experience: Make emotional design serve ethical principles
3. Sustainable Flourishing: Balance individual and collective wellbeing
4. Adaptive Meaning-Making: Support evolution of experience over time
5. Equitable Participation: Ensure powerful stakeholders don't dominate wellbeing definition

Common Challenges in Integrated Design

Resources & Further Learning

TU Delft:

• Design for Values methodology papers (van de Poel & others)
• Participatory design literature
• Circular economy and systems thinking resources

Tongji University:

• Emotional design and experience economy
• Cultural design and cross-cultural HCI
• Experiential prototyping methods

Integration:

• Sensemaking and meaning-making in design
• Participatory action research
• Community-based co-design case studies