Many of us remember the joy of choosing which WordArt font we would pick for our primary school projects. However, for Cassie Khoo this joy was found in Adobe Illustrator, or Adobe Freehand as it was called back when she began learning the programme in Year Four. Cassie’s Mum, a graphic designer herself, taught Cassie the basics of the programme for use in her school projects. This impacted Cassie’s interest in design very early in her life.
Although she had a deep interest in design and continued exploring this over the years, Cassie had not seriously considered it as a career path until applying for university courses. While she had influences pushing for business or accounting careers, and having an accountant as her Dad certainly fostered her skills in this, her parents always maintained that she should keep her options open. When it came time for her to choose, the joy and wonder in a design career drew her to pursue communication design.
In the final year of her Bachelor’s degree, Cassie landed an internship with Professor Stephen Reay and the Design for Health and Wellbeing (DHW) Lab (now called Good Health Design). It was through one of her minor papers that Cassie found out about the DHW Lab and this opened her perspective on the possibilities of designing within healthcare. One thing led to the next, and Cassie eventually decided to do her Master’s and see where it would lead her. As the DHW Lab transitioned out of the hospital and into Good Health Design, Cassie found herself in an opportunity to join the new team. This is where Cassie currently works.
Through Good Health Design, and connections such as Professor Denise Wilson, Cassie was introduced to Whakauae Research Services. Denise was interested in incorporating design with research and presented an opportunity for collaboration. Cassie met with researchers Tanya Allport and Tom Johnson at a hui and has now become a key partner on Perceptions of Papakāinga – an examination of home.
During this project collaboration, Cassie has learned about the cultural aspects of te ao Māori and their contribution to design. Although not Māori herself, Cassie has never felt uncomfortable or pressured about doing things the “wrong” way when working with the team at Whakauae Research Services. She sees it as an opportunity to learn and grow within such a project, and readily takes this on, finding value in contributing to health and design in a meaningful way.
At a recent research gathering, Cassie noticed the difference in classic research presentation – very textual and “traditionally” academic – and the engagement that research with design presentation held. This difference excites her as she awaits the culmination of the final Papakāinga project, witnesses the visual aspects of Māori culture being celebrated, and the visual and tangible interaction that design is bringing to health research.
Prior to her Master’s, Cassie felt she was a quiet and shy person. However, in present day, and with the introduction of teaching design classes, she’s noticed this part of her personality develop and grow. She feels she’s best engaged when she is able to learn while doing as “that’s always where the growth happens”.
As part of this growth, and the warmth she felt in first meeting Tanya, Tom and the rest of the Whakauae Research Services team, Cassie strives to employ that same welcoming feeling with the interns working with Good Health Design. These opportunities have allowed Cassie to see how design plays a key role in changing the way research is designed, analysed, presented and gifted back to those involved.
