Lesson video

Hi there, everyone.

My name is Mr. Booth.

Welcome to your design and technology lesson for today.

It's brilliant that you could join me.

Today we are going to be identifying challenges and opportunities as part of the Inclusive Design: Mental Health and Wellbeing unit.

I want you to be able to identify barriers to mental health and wellbeing, and frame these as opportunities for design.

We've got a few ground rules today.

First of all, listen to others.

It's okay to disagree with each other, but we should listen properly before making assumptions or deciding how to respond.

When disagreeing, remember to challenge the statement, not the person who made that statement.

Respect privacy.

We can discuss examples, but don't use names or descriptions that identify anyone, including ourselves.

No judgment.

We can explore beliefs and misunderstandings about a topic without fear of being judged.

And finally, choose the level of participation that suits you.

Everyone has the right to choose not to answer a question or join in with discussions.

We never put anyone on the spot.

Let's have a look at our keywords then.

First is stressor: a situation, event, or pressure that makes someone feel worried or upset.

We then have barrier: something that prevents a person from completing a task or feeling content.

And then we have opportunity: a chance to use design to solve a problem or improve a situation.

We have two learning cycles today.

The first is understanding barriers to mental health and wellbeing.

So let's go and take a look.

When discussing mental health and wellbeing, it's important to create a respectful and safe classroom environment.

We will use examples and personas so that discussions are not focused on individuals in the room.

Listening respectfully and avoiding judgment helps make everyone take part safely, and you do not have to share personal stories if you do not want to.

A stressor is a situation, event, or pressure that makes someone feel worried or upset.

When stressors are not managed, they can create barriers that affect wellbeing and make tasks harder to complete.

Now we're gonna look at some common stressors.

These might include homework and exam workload, conflict with family or friends, a change in environment like a new house or having to attend a new school.

Expectations from others, isolation, and of course, loud and busy household or workspaces.

Which of the following is an example of a stressor? A quiet library, an exam deadline, a supportive friend, a comfortable workspace? Pause the video now, have a go at this and come back to me when you've got your answer.

It is, of course, an exam deadline.

That is definitely a stressor.

Now a barrier is something that prevents a person from completing a task or feeling content.

Barriers to mental health and wellbeing make everyday activities far more difficult.

This can be an emotion, like anxiety, fear, or low confidence.

A behavior like procrastinating, avoiding people or not asking for help, or a situation like not having enough time, space, or resources.

Let's have a look at some common barriers.

Procrastination, avoiding people stress with new routines, low self-esteem and confidence, feeling shy, a lack of concentration from distractors.

These are all barriers.

Barriers can affect the way people complete everyday activities such as studying, working, shopping, or even relaxing.

Stress may disturb sleep.

Noise can affect concentration and isolation can reduce motivation to join in group activities.

Check for understanding.

Which of the following is the best definition of a barrier? A: something that causes stress, B: a chance to solve a problem through design, C: something that prevents a person from completing a task or being content, or D: an activity that helps to improve wellbeing? Pause the video now, have a go at this and come back to me when you've got your answer.

It is, of course, C.

So a barrier is something that prevents a person from completing a task or being content.

So I'm now gonna introduce you to some of our personas.

And the first one is Alex.

Now Alex is 16-years-old and preparing for his GCSE exams. He feels overwhelmed by the amount of revision.

His stress levels rise when he tries to revise, which makes it hard to focus and remember the information that he is revising for his exams. So his stressor, exams and workload.

Of course, that creates the barrier of feeling stressed and anxious, which has an impact of likely procrastination when he is revising.

We then have Lucas.

Now Lucas is 15-years-old and he finds it difficult to focus in class.

The classroom is often noisy because several students talk while the teacher is explaining tasks when Lucas is trying to focus.

The constant background noise makes it hard for Lucas to concentrate on his written work.

So his stressor is the noisy environment, the barrier, focus and concentration, which of course has the impact of frustration and he feels behind with his learning.

We then have Sofia.

Now, Sofia has moved to a new school and finds it hard to make friends.

She often feels isolated during break times.

In class, she finds it difficult to communicate with peers and contribute to class discussions.

So Sofia has the stressor of social isolation.

This, of course, creates the barrier of interacting with others and the impact of low self-esteem and a sense of belonging.

Now, if you are struggling with a stressor or a barrier, you should speak to any one of the following in your school: a trusted adult, a teacher, your school's SENDCO, or a DSL, the Designated Safeguarding Lead.

Quick check for understanding.

Why is it important to identify barriers before thinking about design opportunities? Is it A: because barriers are easy to ignore, B: because barriers tell us what problems need solving, C: because barriers always cause anxiety, or D: because barriers are the same for everybody? Pause the video now have a go at this and come back to me when you've got your answer.

It is, of course, B, because barriers tell us what problems need solving.

Stressors such as noise or exams, as we've seen in our personas, can create barriers such as lack of focus or anxiety, which then impact everyday tasks, such as studying or taking part in lessons.

Now, understanding this chain, this process that we can see, helps us to see where design opportunities might appear.

So which of these shows the correct order of cause and effect? Is it A: stressor, barrier, impact, B: barrier, stressor, impact, C: impact, barrier, stressor, or D: stressor, impact, barrier? Pause the video now, have a go at this and come back to me when you've got your answer.

It is, of course, A: stressor, then barrier and then impact.

We're onto your first task.

First of all, I want you to define the term "barrier" in the context of mental health and wellbeing.

Describe two common barriers to wellbeing and explain how they might affect everyday tasks.

An office worker commutes to work every day by train.

The trains are often delayed and overcrowded.

The constant noise and lack of personal space makes them feel stressed and frustrated before the workday has even started.

I want you to identify the main stressor, the resulting barrier, and explain the impact this has on the office workers' daily tasks.

Then remembering the ground rules for this task, you do not have to share personal stories if you don't want to.

We can use general examples or things we have observed.

We listen respectfully to others and avoid judgment.

Using the format below, list common stressors, barriers and impacts that you have experienced or observed that relate to mental health and wellbeing.

So that is the stressor plus the barrier resulting in the impact.

Pause the video now, have a go at this task and come back to me when you've got your answers.

So how did you get on? Well, let's have a look at some sample answers.

So first, define the term barrier in the context of mental health and wellbeing.

A barrier is something that prevents a person from completing a task or feeling content.

For example, concentrating or staying calm.

Describe two common barriers to wellbeing and explain how they might affect everyday tasks.

Well, noise can be a barrier because it makes concentration on tasks difficult.

Isolation can also be a barrier 'cause it reduces motivation and confidence to take part in group activities.

Now we look to our office worker who has to commute every day by train, and the trains are delayed and overcrowded and the noise and lack of personal space is making them feel stressed and frustrated even before they've arrived at work, before their day has even started.

I wanted you to identify the main stressor, the resulting barrier, and explain the impact this has on office workers' daily tasks.

So first of all, the stressor.

Well, it's delayed and overcrowded train journey with lots of noise.

The barrier, stress and low mood at the very start of the day.

The impact, difficulty in focusing at work, feeling less motivated, which of course will reduce productivity and increase the frustration of this person.

I then wanted you to use the format below to list common stressors, barriers and impacts that you have experienced or observed that relate to mental health and wellbeing.

And here's some of my answers.

So we have a stressor.

Friendship conflict.

The barrier, avoiding social situations to reduce tension.

And then the impact, feeling isolated or having a low mood.

Another stressor, constant use of social media.

The barrier, comparing self to others.

The impact, negative body image and stress.

We have another stressor, not asking for help when struggling.

The barrier of fear of being judged.

The impact, stress and negative emotions.

And then finally, the stressor, lack of sleep.

The barrier, tiredness makes it harder to concentrate.

And finally, the impact, low and irritable mood.

Well done with that task.

Let's move on to the next learning cycle.

Now, this learning cycle is all about how we can turn these barriers into design opportunities.

When we identify a barrier, we are describing something that makes everyday life harder.

In design, this barrier can also be seen as an opportunity, a chance to create something that improves wellbeing and removes obstacles for those people.

For example, we could have the barrier of a noisy environment.

This could create some design opportunity as some kind of sound dampening dividers.

Reframing problems helps designers focus on what really matters to the user, find creative solutions that improves everyday life, turn challenges into positive opportunities.

When we reframe a stressor or a barrier, we shift our thinking from "this is a problem" to "this is a chance to design something better that can help somebody." Quick check for understanding.

What does it mean to reframe a barrier? A: to ignore the barrier and move on, B: to describe the barrier in more detail, C: to think about the barrier as a chance to create a design solution, or D, to remove the stressor completely? Pause the video now, have a go at this and come back to me when you've got your answer.

It is, of course, C, to think about the barrier as a chance to create a design solution.

So let's go back and look at our personas from learning cycle one.

First of all, we had Alex.

His stressor, exams, and workload.

The barrier was, of course, stress and anxiety that he was feeling and the impact of increased feelings of pressure.

So what opportunities could we take from this? Well, an electric interactive revision wall board that shows progress might be an opportunity; something very interactive so Alex can see his progress.

He could also use a portable revision timer cube, something that chunks down his revision so it's not overwhelming.

Or possibly an aromatherapy fan for while he's revising, which might actually reduce that anxiety.

We then had Lucas, and if you remember, his stressor was the noisy environment in his classroom.

The barrier was then focus and concentration in class with the impact of frustration and feeling behind with his learning.

So what opportunities could we have here? Well, we could have a portable sound dampening screen that he could set up in class or possibly a white noise headset to reduce that background noise so he can focus and concentrate more.

Or possibly a noise canceling hood if he didn't wanna wear a headset, which of course would be less obvious, but still have possibly the same effect.

And then we have Sofia.

Now, if you remember, Sofia has moved to a new school, which means she has a stressor of social isolation, the barrier, interacting with others, which of course has the impact of low self-esteem and a sense of belonging.

The opportunity, interactive friendship bracelets or badges to encourage friendship, a conversation starter card set to help Sofia actually get this conversation started, which can be so difficult.

Or maybe a community mural kit so she can actually invite other people to help her with the mural, which might help interaction with others.

Quick check for understanding.

Why do designers look for opportunities in barriers? A: because barriers are fun to think about, B: because barriers highlight real problems that designers can solve, C: because barriers always disappear with time, or D: because barriers can be enhanced by technology? Pause the video now have a go at this and come back to me when you've got your answers.

It is, of course, B, because barriers highlight real problems that design can solve.

To identify an opportunity, ask yourself: What is stopping the person from completing the task? What's getting in their way? How does this barrier affect their wellbeing or daily life? What could change in their environment, product, or service to remove the barrier? Opportunities are often found by looking closely at the impact of the barrier in that chain we've been looking at.

Once you have a better understanding of the barrier, you can then ask yourself, "Could this barrier be reduced, removed, or managed in some way?" "Is there a way to make the task easier, calmer, or more enjoyable for that user?" "Could technology, furniture, or layout support the person better?" And by asking these questions, we can turn a barrier into a clear opportunity for design or what we call a design opportunity.

Check for understanding.

Which question would best help a designer identify an opportunity? A: Who caused the stressor in the first place? B: How many people is this solution for? C: What are the user's hobbies and interests? Or D: How can the barrier be reduced, removed, or managed? Pause the video now, have a go at this and come back to me when you've got your answer.

It is, of course, D, how can the barrier be reduced, removed, or managed? So now onto Task B.

First of all, I want you to define the term "opportunity" in the context of design for mental health and wellbeing.

I then want you to explain how a noisy classroom can be reframed into a design opportunity.

Describe one reason why designers reframe barriers as opportunities.

A student feels isolated during break times.

Reframe this barrier into an opportunity for design.

And then finally, refer to your list from Task A on stressors, barriers and impacts.

Choose two barriers and reframe these into design opportunities.

Pause the video now, have a go at this task and come back to me when you've completed it.

So how did you get on? Well, let's have a look at some sample answers.

So first of all, I wanted you to define the term "opportunity" in the context of design for mental health and wellbeing.

An opportunity is a chance to solve problems through design and improve someone's wellbeing.

I then wanted you to explain how a noisy classroom can be reframed into a design opportunity.

The stressor is the loud classroom, which creates a barrier of distraction.

The opportunity is to design sound dampening furniture or classroom layouts that reduce noise.

Describe one reason why designers reframe barriers as opportunities.

Well, reframing barriers helps designers to focus on real problems people face, so they can develop solutions that make daily tasks easier.

A student feels isolated during break times.

Reframe this barrier into an opportunity for design.

The stressor is being in a new environment.

The barrier is feeling shy and isolated.

The impact is reduced confidence.

This could be reframed as an opportunity to design an inclusive social space or activity that encourages connections.

Finally, I wanted you to refer to your list from Task A on stressors, barriers and impacts.

I wanted you to choose two barriers and reframe these into design opportunities.

So your answers could include these.

So first of all, we have the stressor of the lack of sleep.

The barrier, tiredness makes it harder to concentrate.

And of course, the impact of low irritable mood.

Well, an opportunity from this might be lighting that shifts to the warmer tones towards the end of the day to try and mimic more natural light.

We then, of course, have the stressor of constant use of social media.

The barrier being comparing self to others, and of course the impact of negative body image and stress.

An opportunity here might be designing a mechanical phone safe so the phone can be locked away for periods of the day, so other tasks will be completed, or at least there's a break from that social media interaction.

And that brings us to the end of today's lesson.

Let's have a quick summary.

Stressors create barriers that make everyday tasks and wellbeing more difficult.

Barriers have clear impacts such as lack of focus, stress or isolation.

Designers can reframe barriers into opportunities for new products, spaces or systems. By identifying opportunities, we can design inclusive solutions that support mental health and wellbeing.

Here are some organizations where you can get further support if needed.

You have been all absolutely fantastic today, well done and I look forward to seeing you next time.

Goodbye.