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Pushing for Empathy-driven solutions through Design Thinking: 3 Success Stories
- Nabilah Tai
- Jun 29
- 3 min read
Written by Kanishka Selvakumar
What if the key to solving most societal problems isn’t just plain old problem-solving but empathy? No, we’re not talking about the future but the present. Problem-solving through design thinking is becoming increasingly prominent and is likely to lead to revolutionary changes in the future.
Design thinking is a user-centred problem-solving approach grounded in empathy, which seeks to understand and meet the needs of customers to develop creative solutions. Curious to find out more? Learn about the 5 phases of design thinking here.
In this article, we spotlight three success stories of how Singaporeans have applied design thinking to devise innovative solutions to address day-to-day problems related to wellbeing.
Bus Stop Replicas help Patients with Dementia
You may have read about a bus shelter that has appeared in the dementia ward of Yishun Community Hospital (YCH). The identified problem was that the patients with cognitive impairments often became disoriented and expressed a strong desire to go home. Thus it was difficult for the hospital staff to control their behaviour.
Grounded by creativity, Ms Julia Lau (senior staff nurse at YCH) and her team decided to work with Shincon Industrial and the Land Transport Authority to install a customised bus stop in the dementia ward. How does the solution work? It distracts patients with the desire to go home by prompting them to look for a way home. The bus stop also plays a role in validation and reminiscence therapy, sparking natural conversations between healthcare staff and patients and triggering memories of past routines.
This initiative is undoubtedly an excellent example of design thinking in action. By deeply understanding the emotional needs of dementia patients, Ms Lau and her team were able to innovate and improve their solution to support the needs of both patients and caregivers alike.
Princess Elizabeth Primary School Students Foster Inclusivity
If you have been reading our past articles, you would have understood that design thinking is not only used in solutions that “transform the world” but also in solutions in smaller contexts, such as schools and workplaces. In fact, it has been used by students from Princess Elizabeth Primary School to address a societal concern close to their hearts.
A group of Primary 5 and 6 student leaders were required to work with patients from St. Luke’s Hospital. In the “Empathise” phase of design thinking, students interviewed patients to gain a deeper understanding of their user experience surrounding physiotherapy. In the “Define” phase, they identified the problem as patients being unmotivated to attend physiotherapy sessions.
In the “Ideate” phase, they decided to turn physiotherapy exercises into tactile games, which were popular among the patients. In the “Prototype” and “Test” phases, the students created interactive games using the resources available to them. It is notable that they didn’t stop there but also solicited feedback from the staff at St. Luke’s to refine their solutions. Ideally, the patients enjoyed playing the games while undergoing physiotherapy. Through their design thinking experience, the students sparked change in the lives of the patients and developed a practical understanding of the innovation tool.
My Animal Buddy Programme by the Singapore Zoo
Now, this is a problem that kids have faced for a long time. They want pets, but their parents don’t. However, parents agree that having a pet is suitable for their child’s development. To address this specific issue, Mandai Park Holdings established the My Animal Buddy Programme.
Using the “Empathise” phase of the design thinking process, the team began by gathering insights into parental concerns from social platforms such as KiasuParents and Singapore Motherhood, as well as through interviews and observations. During this phase, Belina Lee, who heads the Group Strategy & Innovation Division, and her team made a significant discovery. In reality, parents are more concerned about their children’s development, not very much aligned with the aim of valuing and conserving wildlife. They used this insight to frame the correct problem statement.
“The difference with design thinking is having deep empathy for the guest right at the start of any problem-solving”
The insightful problem statement led to the concept of My Animal Buddy, which is a free-to-subscribe programme. To explain simply, children can befriend one of the zoo animals and interact with it from home through online messages, videos, articles and more. This initiative served as a stepping stone to achieving the goal of providing more opportunities for children to interact with animals.
Hope you’ve gained some inspiration from reading these stories, which have taken place close to home. These serve as a reminder that anyone can use design thinking, regardless of age or profession, to catalyse positive change. This change is not only possible but already underway. So what are you waiting for? Start your personal design thinking journey now.
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