Using the Design Thinking Approach for a University Health Promotion Program: A Pilot Study.

Area of Science:

• Health Promotion
• Educational Psychology
• Design Thinking

Background:

• University wellness programs utilize health campaigns to boost engagement.
• Limited resources challenge timely development and testing of campaign materials.
• The Design Thinking Approach (DTA) offers a potentially faster, cost-effective alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and short-term impact of using the DTA to create a university self-care campaign.
• To compare a DTA-developed self-care campaign with an existing mental health campaign.

Main Methods:

• A 5-session DTA workshop trained peer health educators and staff.
• Feasibility was evaluated through participant ratings of acceptability and practicality.
• Campaign impact was measured by event attendance and social media reach.

Main Results:

• Participants found the DTA acceptable and beneficial.
• The DTA-developed self-care campaign attracted more event attendees than the existing mental health campaign.
• Social media reach was similar, with a slight edge to the existing mental health campaign; no significant difference in perceived effectiveness was found.

Conclusions:

• The DTA shows potential as a feasible and efficient tool for health campaign development and testing in universities.
• Further research is needed to explore long-term impacts and optimal feedback methods for the DTA.