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Annina Gähwiler is a research associate at the Institute for Design Research (IDR) at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). She is currently involved as a researcher and office coordinator in the development of the DIZH-funded structure Digital Health Design Living Lab (DHD Living Lab), which is jointly initiated by the IDR of the ZHdK together with the Institute for Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine IBME, UZH and the Institute for Public Health IPH, ZHAW. The DHD Living Lab acts as a catalyst for innovative research and development projects by experienced and young researchers at the interface of digitalisation, health, ethics and design. With her background in design research practice and teaching, Annina Gähwiler has a broad expertise in research methods, e.g. mixed-methods approaches, theory-led and/or application-oriented, including design-ethnographic and participatory research. Her focus is on research with a "research through and for design" approach. She uses the range of methods and tools that allow her to address novel questions and explore uncharted territory. Her expertise is shaped by design (research) activities in the field, close to and for people, for specific communities and always with regard to potential changes on a systemic and socio-cultural level. An important concern for her is to explore her own role as a creative-researching force in the context, to reflect on her own practice and to use it to inform the image of design research, both her own and that of others. Annina Gähwiler has several years of teaching experience in the interdisciplinary module area of the Master's programme in Design at the ZHdK, in continuing education at the ZHdK with the Health Design Thinktank and also teaches irregularly at other institutions, including the ZHAW. Her teaching activities mainly focus on health design and methods of design and design research. As a former product and interior designer, and co-founder of her own design company, she aims with her work at bridging scientific work with teaching and the design practice, in close collaboration with other disciplines to address systemic complex challenges with a creative and holistic approach, respecting the values and needs of the individual.
Annina Gähwiler is interested in research activities in the field of health design and here specifically in the focus on interdisciplinary and interprofessional collaboration between design researchers, designers and health professionals, as well as patients and their relatives, and in the methods and practices that have proved to be insightful here. In this field, distinctive and at the same time extremely attractive fields of tension and impact with innovation potential are revealed. She pays particular attention to developments in the field of digital health and is interested in the changes in the relationships between human and machine, and human and AI. Through her participation in the IBME Fellowship Programme, and since recently through her work as an official student in the PhD BmEL/Medical Track Programme, Annina Gähwiler has the opportunity to engage with current research activities and the latest scientific findings from a (medical) ethical perspective. Decision-making as a crucial event in health-related processes is set as the overarching topic of Annina Gähwiler's PhD research endeavor. In order to develop digital decision aids for decision-making processes it is important to consider individual preferences and values while ensuring to be align with ethical principles. Identifying efective methods to guide the design process is one objective. In addition, understanding the key design components that comprise a digital decision aid is essential for developing comprehensive and user-friendly solutions. New digital technologies, including the increased use of AI, promise potential for innovation, which will be explored in more detail and through interdisciplinary approaches.
