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De-Stigmatisation of Mental Health Through Design

Medina Mammadkhanova

Medina Mammadkhanova is a graphic designer who mostly focuses on interactive and product design, that is influenced by the exploration of mental health education and awareness in society today. Her work is driven by creating a healthy outlook on mental health by focusing her practice on creating engaging and fun tactile design, to create more vibrant and positive experiences for her audience.

Medina Mammadkhanova is a graphic designer who mostly focuses on interactive and product design, ...

Coping Blocks and the Emotional Processor explore ways in which interactive design can be used to assist people with understanding and processing their emotions. The tactility of both projects serves as an example of learning through creative play by exploring what role tactile design can play in shaping the mental well-being of young minds. Due to the stigma around the topic, the objects are designed to provide aid to those who might struggle to process or understand their emotions naturally, through fun and interactive play.

Final work

“Emotional Processor” is a tool that is meant to help those who struggle to process their emotions naturally and need help in doing so

Emotional Processor

“Emotional Processor” is a tool that is meant to help those who struggle to process their emotions naturally and need help in doing so. The tool offers the user an engaging and game-like approach to doing so. The device consists of 6 buttons, each representing an emotion (Sadness, Stress, Anger, Excitement, Love and Happiness). Once pressed the device prints out a note with a question, specifically designed for that emotion, that the user would have to answer. Afterwards, the note could either be saved or shredded through the slit sections on top of the device. Both options serve as a physical form of processing, by either saving the written prompts for later reflection or shredding them to physically "let go" of the emotions.

  • Image of emotional processor tool
  • Close up of emotional processor tool
  • Back view of emotional processor tool

Emotional Processor by Medina Mammadkhanova

Video promoting and instructing the use of the emotional processor.

The video translates the many ways the processor can be used: individually, with friends, family, partners and so on. That the processor was meant for any person, willing to fight the stigma of mental health, for themselves and others.

Each scene shows a different experience of emotional processing through hand-acting, which leaves the reason behind the emotion up for the interpretation of the viewer. Through viewing the body language of a certain emotion, I wanted to provoke relatability from the audience towards those struggling to process their feelings, and using the box.

This could encourage the audience to use the processor in the same way and have a positive outlook on the whole experience.

  • Image of creating emotional processor tool
  • Image of emotional processor tool circuit board
  • Image of emotional processor tool panels

Research and process

Image of learning blocks tool

Coping Mechanisms: Learning Blocks

These learning blocks present themselves as a learning tool for young children to educate themselves on types of coping mechanisms. With mental health education in the UK being far from perfect I enquired to create a tool to help with the lack of education.

The Coping Blocks are also meant to support mental health professionals in aiding young children with mental health education early on, to help normalise mental health conversations throughout their lives

  • Image of learning blocks
  • Image of learning blocks
  • Image of learning blocks

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De-Stigmatisation of Mental Health Through Design

Coping Blocks and the Emotional Processor explore ways in which interactive design can be used to assist people with understanding and processing their emotions. The tactility of both projects serves as an example of learning through creati...

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