Whitney Robinson

An Experiment: Co-Design within MCH

Whitney Robinson is a design lovin’ Product Manager obsessed with seeing maternal experiences improve in her lifetime. A recent transplant to Atlanta, she is a mom of 4, and founder of The Renée — a lab that utilizes community jam sessions to build products and consults with organizations to see simple yet impactful wins within maternal health. Whitney holds a Computer Science degree from Duke and is a leather craftswoman in her free time.

Session Description:

What does it look like to design new systems within Maternal & Child Health (MCH) as opposed to focusing solely on dismantling current systems? Furthermore, how do we break out of the research loop to create products/services that people will use and enjoy?  Co-design is one way to facilitate thoughtful conversations and create doable next steps. In a world where we are questioning disparities and less than optical outcomes, co-design provides an opportunity to shift focus from traditional stakeholders placing the highest importance on designing as and with people with lived experiences. This rapid design session will cover 3 different topics that will help participants think through ways to address problems within MCH.  We’ll cover who should be doing this work, what we know about the current state of MCH, and ways to address gaps that prevent people from optimal experiences and/or outcomes within MCH.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Identify the needs of people as it relates to MCH.
  2. Identify how people who are impacted by less than optimal outcomes and/or experiences within MCH would create a new concept for themselves.
  3. Conduct a rapid co-design session to generate ideas and prototypes.