Thesis idea 1 x 3

After brainstorming with Mia Darling, using the Power of Ten exercise, I thought about my problem space a little differently. I started to think deeper in other areas of MS, past awareness. Awareness, I have concluded, in this early stage, can come in the form of telling someone about something or (and this is where my mind is steering me to) help communicate an aspect of the disease between people. I decided to draw a problem space map once again to see what I could be thinking about in addition to awareness.

More things to consider in the problem space.

Below are some ways I could think of approaching the problem space:

1. Enabling mobility or making the patient feel freer from their condition. Could the use of VR be beneficial here? This can have a therapeutic effect on the patient. This could also allow for an immersive experience and maybe allow for healing.
2. Automated or low effort input way of monitoring a patient’s health: Could this be a device? An app? A customized tool for every user which requires very little patient input and automatically monitors moods, fatigue levels, ups and downs during the day and counters the down moments with helpful responses? Is machine learning applicable here?
3. A network of people fighting the stigma of MS together. MS differs from culture to culture just as it differs amongst the different people it affects. Could it be that people from a ‘closed’ or conservative culture have a harder time talking about their condition than patients from a culture that promotes talking about one’s mental and physical health openly? Can there be a connection between the two types of patients in hopes of bettering patient health both ways? Is there a sponsor system that may be developed on an individual level by the patients and for the patients to help each other when they most need it? To keep each other on track and to be the listening ear? A support group or system without (international) boundaries, where MS patients overcome language and culture barriers to help another MS patient in need?
4. The role of depression and anxiety which are often called ‘side effects’ of MS: In much of the research I have done, these two seem to be much more than just effects on the side. They command the disease much of the time, front and center. Is another app the answer?
5. Assistive technology and robotics: I am not sure about this yet but it would be about developing technology for day to day living with MS.
6. A caregiver’s point of view: The condition takes a massive toll on someone who has to live with it, no doubt. But the burden of caregiving also is a large one and often strains relationships over the course of the disease. Some opportunities here include improving communication between the patient and their caregivers. Also, designing for the caregivers. They are a big, often ignored, audience who need as much support as the patients.