Innovation & Technology Product Design
Rory McLachlan

I have a passion for social and service design, specialising in reshaping the landscape of healthcare and public services. I collaborate with diverse stakeholders through participatory design and innovative thinking to co-create solutions that resonate deeply with communities.

Pieces of the Puzzle
Pieces of the Puzzle is a conversation toolkit for national application in hospital wards which care for adults with learning disabilities who have either had a breakdown in care provision or have been sectioned under the Mental Health Act of 2003.
The toolkit is not just a set of conversation tools but a comprehensive strategy for an individual’s transition back to their community with their new care provider. It is designed to rebalance power dynamics and foster positive relationships. Prompting discussions that enable patient agency within their continuum of care makes the transition process more comfortable and reassuring for both the patients and the healthcare professionals.
The icebreaker, a crucial and impactful part of the toolkit, aims to help individuals recognise their efforts to progress during their hospital stay. It also plays a significant role in starting the relationship between the individual and their new care provisions on an equal footing. The questions give people the platform to introduce themselves informally, fostering a positive and comfortable environment.
The scenarios in the toolkit serve a specific purpose. They assist nursing staff in creating a bespoke graded planner. The exercise asks individuals to envisage realistic scenarios to understand their tolerance towards specific objectives that must be achieved before their departure. The prompts go in chronological order and get increasingly more challenging. The exercise aims to ensure safety and comfort as they move towards a time that can feel unsettling and disruptive.
The consultation guide houses all of the tools, and most of the elements are printable, which makes replicating the toolkit easy for professionals. The guide contains information to help care providers and staff adapt the tools to make the activities accessible for the specific needs of the intended individual. The guide also includes information relating to the space in which the tools are used and the creation of a person-centred graded planner.
Project Links
Bacteria. Interior Design
At Bacteria. Interior Design, we imagine a future where sustainability meets innovation and where science and style synergise.
Through harmonising our living spaces with the natural world, we believe our society can begin to integrate more sustainable qualities for the benefit of our planet’s health. We trust that this synergy can be achieved by amalgamating the intelligence of bacteria into our ways of living. From our flagship product, Paste New Roman which purifies the air we breathe, to our furniture wax, which betters our immune systems,
We present to you a transformative style of living through the innovative applications of bacteria. The interior design team consists of a diverse range of disciplines including scientists and researchers, who explore and navigate the expansive microbe ecosystems to deliver new opportunities to bacteria, the planet and humanity. Our team of designers then create innovative ways to deliver a viable alternative for modern, eco-conscious cohabitation. We celebrate a culture which not only creates stylish additions to the home but promotes a transformative and sustainable lifestyle accessible to all. The home is not just a house but an ecosystem for organisms to thrive.