HA-PPE
Kok Fang Ling

Fang Ling is an Experience Designer from DesignSojourn. She aspires to elicit positive feelings and emotions in people through her work.

COVID-19 isolation wards can be a grim place. When healthcare workers don their PPE, they cover up to 100% of their skin, robbing them of the chance to express their emotions. This makes it challenging to build rapport with their patients and creates a sombre environment within the wards.

HA-PPE features modified tug strings for securing the PPE suit and a material that can be used with printed stickers. Tug strings that are shaped like little hands and feet tighten the suit around the neckline and waistline, and make healthcare workers look like they are piggy-backing someone — a metaphor for reliance. HA-PPE hopes that through subtle alterations, healthcare workers and their patients can feel a sense of warmth as they battle the pandemic.