The Design Museum re-opened in Kensington in November 2016.  Its vision is to inspire everyone to understand the value of design. As part of the museum’s 10 year development journey, the museum consulted extensively with audiences (‘users’ in design speak) about their wants, needs and dreams for the new museum.  Placing visitors at the core was essential in building a museum programme that actively responds to user need – a fundamental design principle.   The museum’s Learning and Research teams began to re-imagine activity around Happy Museum principles as part of the inaugural Museum Association Transformers programme.  The resultant ‘Design and Wellbeing’ Community Engagement programme comprises strands of activity for local visitors framed loosely by the NEF ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’.   Understanding the benefit of peer exchange and the value of professional reciprocity underpins the wish to affiliate with the Happy Museum in order to inform the programme as well as to share insights garnered over the life of the project.

Design for wellbeing project