Carefully designed: transforming design process with care

"I care..." an expression that holds deep emotions within. Initially, the first notion that comes to mind is showing concern for someone, looking after someone, or self-care. The connection between the concept of care and contexts where comfort and discomfort arise—particularly in relation to health and nursing—is well-recognized and widely acknowledged (Kolcaba & Kolcaba, 1991). This was the initial impression at the outset of this exploration. However, the care concept is still unclear and can be very abstract. Due to the various interpretations of care, we should know whether it is used in its typical everyday sense (Kolcaba & Kolcaba, 1991) or if the context suggests other interpretations within specific fields. In design, care encompasses diverse concepts, including, but not limited, to empathy, sustainability, equity, and emotional engagement in the design processes.

This chapter, therefore, explores the evolving concept of care, transcending its traditional associations with health and nursing to examine its role in navigating comfort and discomfort within design practice. The aim is to create awareness and understanding of the use of care as a state that includes the designer's emotional experiences to help develop meaningful care interventions while designing. The chapter looks at the role of care within the design process rather than merely an outcome of design.