UCL researchers develop non-verbal wellbeing measure

This will be of particular benefit to people with communications difficulties, such as stroke victims.

The project has seen Slade School Deputy Director (Projects) Jo Volley collaborate with Nuala Morse, an Honorary Researcher based at UCL Culture who is also working on a research project at the Whitworth Art Gallery, part of the University of Manchester.

Dr Morse says the Grand Challenges funding has allowed the researchers to explore something new. "The Human Wellbeing award has provided us with a valued opportunity to begin exploring an exciting new area of work, around using colours to express emotions and towards developing a visual language for assessing wellbeing. We have so far had three thought-provoking co-production workshops with a group of adults with acquired communication difficulties (as a result of a stroke)."

Jo and Nuala have identified the considerable potential of their approach in aiding communication, alongside its potential as a wellbeing measure. Their project has also enabled them to develop a strong partnership with the UCL Communication Clinic in the School of Language & Cognition and working with their clients and Dr Michael Dean. Engaging externally about their project, they have generated a substantial amount of interest in how their tool could be used with people with communication difficulties, and also with other groups - such as children and adults with learning disabilities, or people with dementia.

The project has now been granted additional funding from the Grand Challenges, enabling Jo and Nuala, along with Nir Segal, the Slade PhD artist researcher on the project, to design a series of different 'prototypes' of the non-verbal toolkit that will be used in future research projects. The prototypes were presented at a final project symposium in June 2017, and there are plans for a public exhibition at UCLH in January 2018.

The symposium brought together 34 delegates including 5 of the project participants, artists, museum professionals, UCL students and academics from across the disciplines, and several members of NHS adult services and third sector organisations specialising in supporting people affected by brain injury. The delegates explored the different aspects of the prototype 'Colour and Emotions toolkit', including the Colour Diary, which were co-designed through the research project. They also explored other materials that might be used in the toolkit.

Delegates were excited about the possibilities offered by the toolkit and provided valuable feedback to the team, on both the design and potential use of the toolkit in different settings, for example in a therapy session or as an evaluation tool. Several delegates stated they would be interested in using the toolkit and the research team is following on with these new partnerships.

The research team is now using all the feedback to finalise the design of the initial toolkit, including a publication.

Meanwhile, the project is still growing: Jo Volley has put in a joint application with Prof Helen Chatterjee, UCL Biosciences & UCL Culture, to the UCL Rosetree Stoneygate Prize 2017. If successful, this Prize would fund a PhD student to be based at the Slade School.