Alison Mulvale Fletcher

What Programs did you graduate from and when? 

BDES Environmental Design (ED), 2016 and Design for Health, Master’s 2018 

What is your current title or role? (e.g. freelance designer, art practitioner, etc.) 

Service Design Coordinator for The Housing Services Team at CMHA Toronto 

Why did you choose to attend OCAD U? 

I chose OCAD U because it’s specialty is in Art and Design. I knew I wanted to pursue design. In my undergrad, I wanted a wide range of programs and specialties that would help broaden my knowledge to get a better sense of what I wanted to do. In ED I was interested in spatial design – you could focus on Interior Design or Architecture. I knew I wanted to do Design in the Healthcare field as my undergrad from Ottawa U was health focused. The timing worked out. The first year the Design for Health Master’s program started was right when I graduated from my undergrad. 

Please briefly describe your current job/practice. 

I was brought on for the Vitality Project that was made possible through United Way funding. In addition to that project, I work on tenant engagement and service provider engagement. We think about ways to improve housing at CMHA Toronto. The Vitality Project looks at two neighbourhoods – based on tenant experiences, and how can we improve their experiences from a neighbourhood lens based on the scale of individual units, building, neighbourhood, and services. We co-design with tenants.  

How did you get started in your career?  

I started my educational career from the Health or Sciences lens. I had an interest in Design so I worked on bringing those together. I started in Biomedical Sciences and switched over. During my undergraduate degree at OCAD U, McMaster University was looking for a Designer to work on the myEXP app. I did that for a few years. I also worked with a Biomimicry lab with two other OCAD U students – led by an OCAD U Professor, Jamie Miller. We worked on on-site analysis, identifying biomimetic solutions for septic and sewer, water and electricity in New Lowell, Ontario. We worked on coming up with innovative design solutions. Through the master’s program, I was a Research Assistant for professor Kate Sellen who was working on a nasal Naloxone kit. I started looking for a job in February of my final semester in the master’s program and that’s how I found my current job. 

What are your policies regarding internships, volunteering, and paid work? 

I spent 8 years in Undergrad and 2 years in master’s, so for me, it was always a priority to find a stable job with an income that covers my expenses. Internships are valuable in that you get the opportunity to be mentored by industry professionals who are experts in the field you are going into. People should get paid for their work particularly if it’s over a long course of time. I would consider volunteering if I had time. Any volunteer opportunity I’ve personally taken has been for a charitable cause. 

 
What do you enjoy most about your work? What is the most challenging aspect of your work? 

A challenge I’ve accepted is recruiting in the healthcare sector. We want to engage people who are actively using the healthcare system in any capacity. We are developing a system that includes patients and service providers. The service providers are most likely to keep being there. If you are sick, your priority is getting better and not necessarily participating in co-design event feedback groups or research activities. It’s always better for us to over recruit to ensure that we always have participants to help make sure there are enough voices represented. 

I enjoy getting to be creative and solving problems. In the world of covid-19 where we are working remotely, one of the most rewarding parts of my career is that people afford you the trust and privilege of getting to know their ideas and thoughts on how to improve services that are vital for their wellbeing. To be able to have that privilege to learn what you may not be able to learn otherwise is probably one of my favourite parts of my job. 

What skills or relationships developed at OCAD U helped you participate in your field? Is there anything you would have done differently? 

I learned a lot of skills that I developed at OCAD U, such as service and systems design, primary and secondary research, engagement with service providers and healthcare service users, and design skills to make presentations visually appealing. A soft skill I learned was that we were always given the direction of where to go to learn. This has made it easier for me because I now intuitively know how to pick up new software or techniques. I have a stronger ability to self-teach because I went to OCAD U. 

I wouldn’t have done anything differently. Every step of my education led me to the next step. Even if I went back in time, my master’s program would still have launched in 2018. 

What are the key responsibilities you maintain for your practice?  

Interviews, feedback groups, infographics, mapping, running and organizing a project, internal and external reports. I work with a coworker (Randy). In my role I coordinate materials and food (for in-person events, when we had them), for online events I make sure that we receive consent forms, I prepare slide decks, recruitment, phone calls and emails.  

What are your personal and professional goals for the coming years? 

To see the Vitality co-design Project through to the end of the 5-year funding period. To strengthen my project management skillset. To continue to work in a Design capacity in the healthcare industry whether that is in a community-based or clinical setting.