Design is about more than just aesthetics — it can also be used as a tool to improve everything from patient outcomes to clinician well-being. As an industrial design researcher, Rob Melville explores how smart, inclusive design can solve real-world problems, whether that means rethinking the materials used in everyday furniture or redesigning healthcare environments to better accommodate people’s needs.
At the heart of Melville’s work are two central threads: sustainable materials and inclusive design. In this Q&A, Melville discusses his design philosophy and his recent projects, including his award-winning sensory seating designed for neurodiverse patients in collaboration with an external partner and Jefferson Health, which officially became available to the public when Jefferson Health’s Honickman Center opened in April 2024.
How would you describe your research to the person riding the elevator with you?
My research falls into two categories. The first is material research or looking at how we can use materials in a smarter, more sustainable way. The second category is problem-based research, or how we can design products that better address a wide range of people’s needs using inclusive design.
What’s an example of your material research?
An example of this was a line of furniture I co-designed that used a composite of recycled paper honeycomb with thin plywood skins. This created light but extremely strong furniture that used a minimal amount of material. We developed a way to form this composite into curves; a technique we applied to a lightweight stackable chair.
A recently completed project was sensory seating for Jefferson Health, in collaboration with a furniture manufacturer. I was first approached by Dr. Wendy Ross from the Jefferson Center for Autism and Neurodiversity, who pointed out that there are virtually no provisions made in the design of healthcare facilities for neurodiverse people. For people on the autism spectrum, a visit to a healthcare provider can be a stressful and intimidating experience. This is due to a range of factors including noise, lighting and the judgmental stares from some other waiting room users.
Something that I always remembered from the sensory seating project was that we all become neurodiverse when we are under stress. Dr. Ross uses the example of trying to follow directions while driving in pouring rain on a dark night in a place you don’t know, then add your children arguing with each other in the back of the car. She told me, “this would be an experience that my patients are going through much of the time.”
How did the sensory seating project turn out?
Working with a student team, we adapted an existing seating system with a wraparound screen for visual and acoustic protection, while a wider textured armrest is intended for calming distraction. This sensory seating was manufactured by an external partner and has now been installed in the patient waiting lounges on multiple floors of the Honickman Center.
My best memory from the sensory seating project was spending a day observing people using the design. The reception desk teams on many of the building’s floors told me how people loved the seating and would often try and get the same seat for each of their visits. Two members of the Honickman's security team told me the chairs were their favorite spot to take a break.
That’s a really fascinating way to combine health care and design. Are you working on any other projects in the healthcare space?
Yes! In hospital design, a great deal of thought and effort goes into the patient’s spaces, while spaces for the clinicians and staff are often neglected. Healthcare worker burnout is a major problem in multiple ways, including increased staff turnover, low morale, a negative effect on patient safety and outcomes, higher absenteeism, and an increase in health worker mental health issues. This has only gotten worse since the pandemic.
I’m just starting to explore how we can design better restorative spaces to help provide better opportunities for self-care and resilience. I’ll be working on this project with a collaborative team including faculty and students from the College of Architecture and the Built Environment and faculty from the College of Humanities and Sciences, College of Rehabilitation Sciences and Sidney Kimmel Medical College.
What’s something you’re passionate about outside of your research?
I’ve recently made several trips back to Italy after many years. During my younger years, I spent a considerable amount of time in the country, including working on an apple farm for several months. Everyday life in Italy always seems such an elevated experience. My tourist skills even came back, although I would love to learn to speak the language fluently.
Who’s someone who shaped your design journey?
The people who have significantly shaped my career are the design tutors I had the privilege of working with during my years in the United Kingdom. I was lucky enough to win several student design competitions, which meant I got to work with the faculty at the Royal College of Art alongside the great people at Ravensbourne, my undergraduate college. They say a good teacher never leaves you, and I still hear their voices when trying to solve a design problem.
Is there a piece of advice that stuck with you or that you try to pass on to young researchers?
The advice I would pass on to young researchers would be to take full advantage of the unique situation at Thomas Jefferson University, where design and architecture faculty can collaborate with medical and science college faculty to research and develop new and innovative ideas and products. These can then be tested in the ‘real world’ environment of Jefferson Health.
