︎ STREAMLINE: Organization as Self Help
Streamline aims to provide individuals living with medical clutter a dignified, supportive system to reclaim their space. The project targets reducing shame around their condition, restoring a sense of control over their environment, and fostering mental routines that build sustainable and productive habits. The theoretical framework is to address his poor mental health through providing Sean with space and time with his daughter and community. This is achieved through encouraging better organizational
systems.
By Noorhan Moustafa ︎ , Anelisa Anderson ︎, Fatema Almoamen ︎, Jin Hyuk Kim ︎, & Anna DeYoung︎
Who
Sean is a 30 year old father who works the third shift at a factory. He has type II diabetes as well as kidney disease and he has been struggling with the management of his conditions on top of his work schedule and caring for his daughter. As an extroverted persona, Sean values social engagement. Social situations energize him and boost his mood. For Sean, socializing becomes recharging. However, the structure of Sean’s daily routine makes maintaining this social energy extremely difficult. Because he sleeps during the day to accommodate his night-shift schedule and performs home hemodialysis in the early evening, his available time for both personal care and social connection is significantly compressed. His evening hours are dominated by a multi-step dialysis process that includes pre-treatment checks, setup, a long treatment session, and post-care procedures. By the time he completes these tasks, Sean is already fatigued, yet he must leave immediately to begin his shift at the factory. The constraints of Sean’s living environment further amplify these challenges. His small home must function as a place to rest, eat, relax, and undergo medical treatment, often all within the same limited area. This overlap makes it difficult to maintain organization and hygiene, and it limits opportunities for meaningful social engagement – something especially important for an extroverted individual who relies
on interpersonal interaction for emotional well-being. Sean’s situation illustrates the complex intersection of chronic illness management, demanding work schedules, spatial limitations, and personal psychological needs. Understanding how these pressures shape his daily life is essential for developing a design response that genuinely supports his health, his routines, and his identity.
Why
Sean views home as a place to strengthen and secure relationships with others. As an extroverted persona, he values social engagement as a form of recharge. While navigating dialysis at home, Sean finds himself feeling more self conscious with the clutter his medical equipment is causing. How might lack of organization encourage isolation? Well, the lack of organization in his home has sparked feelings of shame and embarrassment. Guilt begins to ask questions like “why am I unable to maintain my home?” and “how have I fallen so far behind? Gradually, Sean develops avoidant behaviors such as pulling away from others or pushing others away from him due to the pressure of “saving face.” The distance he creates becomes mental and emotional- not just physical. Space plays a crucial role in people’s well-being and treatment effectiveness, which is why primary health care environments should be psychologically supportive, as explained by supportive design theory. In home care, the home itself shapes the success of treatment, making appropriate setup of medical equipment and well-matched spatial design essential. Home modifications can enhance self-care, mobility, and overall primary care through thoughtful products and design changes. However, these changes are influenced by larger social factors—such as family support, community resources, and socioeconomic conditions—which ultimately affect how well home care can be delivered. Without proper structural support, unsafe or poorly arranged home environments can increase risks and burdens for both patients and caregivers.
How
Within the context of adaptive furniture storage solutions, Sean may consider two potential avenues. One option involves the acquisition of commercially available products from established furniture retailers such as IKEA or Home Depot. This approach affords access to a broad spectrum of design configurations, enabling him to select items that not only align with his aesthetic preferences but also support the functional demands associated with his treatment needs. The availability of modular and customizable systems within these retail environments further provides opportunities to tailor the spatial arrangement with minimal intervention, thereby balancing design flexibility with cost-efficiency.
More specifically, this option enables Sean to procure furniture that enhances the organization and functionality of his living space. For instance, adaptable wooden chairs can serve as seating for up to three guests and, with the addition of cushions, offer improved comfort. When not required for seating, these chairs can be reconfigured into a shelving unit, provided they maintain a square formation, thus maximizing spatial efficiency. Additionally, a nightstand can accommodate Sean’s CPAP machine and related supplies, keeping them readily accessible during nighttime use or discreetly stored when hosting visitors. Finally, a coffee table with integrated storage compartments can hold the existing boxes already used in the living room, ensuring that personal items remain concealed unless he chooses to make them visible.
The second option involves Sean constructing custom furniture himself, drawing on his background in factory work and his demonstrated proficiency in minor household repairs and hands-on skills. This approach would afford him a greater sense of agency, enabling him to shape his environment in accordance with his needs and preferences while taking a more active role in managing his primary care routine.
What
Now: Proposing adaptive furniture storage solutions that conceal medical supplies while supporting consistent care routines. By reducing visibility of supplies and removing them from line of sight, Sean gains more space for his daughter and guests, helping reduce social isolation.
Near: In 10-12 years organizational systems in the home will become adaptive and multifunctional. They can be designed with more integrated feedback from patients affected by these conditions.
Far: In 25 years, an integrated organizational healthcare system will be built into the foundation of the home. As the core of the living space, healthcare is no longer an afterthought but a driving factor that is seamlessly embedded into the house.
Summary: This demonstrates the evolution of the design over a 25-year period, where the intervention starts as strategic placement of simple mass produced furniture pieces and evolves into a system that is incorporated within the home, making healthcare at the core of the home.
So What
By strategically improving the spatial organization of Sean’s home through targeted furniture interventions, our design proposal seeks to reduce his cognitive load and emotional strain while offering a scalable model for individuals with similar conditions. We employ a dual approach: first, by providing access to affordable, ready-made furniture that delivers an immediate, cost-conscious means of decluttering; and second, by cultivating Sean’s agency through the development of maker skills that enable him to design and construct adaptive, need-specific pieces. This combination not only accommodates his current constraints but also supports iterative modification as his habits and conditions evolve. Ultimately, enhanced spatial clarity promotes healthier behavioral patterns, mitigates feelings of isolation, and facilitates increased social engagement by transforming the home into a more functional and supportive environment. As we consider the now, near and future, we recognize organization as self help.
Design To Outcomes
Streamline aims to provide individuals living with medical clutter a dignified, supportive system to reclaim their space. The project targets reducing shame around their condition, restoring a sense of control over their environment, and fostering mental routines that build sustainable and productive habits. The theoretical framework is to address his poor mental health through providing Sean with space and time with his daughter and community. This is achieved through encouraging better organizational systems.
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Works Cited
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