Merja Ryöppy

Personal profile

Research areas

I am affiliated with Theatre Lab at SDU Design Research, where I support students and researchers with theatre methods in design processes. It is an invitation to explore what improvised and participatory theatre methods, involving the intellect as well as the body and emotions, can offer to research projects and the teaching going on in SDU. In Theatre Lab, we use improvised theatre as a means to research human interaction in social relations, for instance in Prometheus project we have explored ways to improve doctor-patient communication together with healthcare professionals and patients.

My PhD study lies at the intersection of object theatre and design, with a focus on engaging objects and products in a bodily way as a means to both develop designers’ understanding of the nature of interaction and material sensations with objects. Working with object theatre methods in a design process enables to take the perspective of an object or another stakeholder to learn from the experience. Theatre offers a possibility to explore and experience moments what we might else be just talking about.

Key words: Participatory Theatre, Improvised Theatre, Postdramatic Theatre, Object Theatre, User-Centered Design, Interaction Design, Participatory Innovation

Education/Academic qualification

Applied Theatre, B.A.

Product Development, M.Sc. (eng.), Tampere University of Technology

Theatre and Education, 25 ECTS specialisation

External positions

Visiting researcher, Nottingham Trent University

1. Sep 2018 → 15. Nov 2018

Research areas

Userdriven Innovation
Participatory design
Participatory innovation
Interaction design
Citizens Participation
Participatory theatre
Improvised theatre
Object theatre

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Network Recent external collaboration on country level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots.

Research Output 2015 2018

7 Article in proceedings
1 Book
1 Book chapter
1 Conference abstract in proceedings

Engaging the vulnerable encounter: engendering narratives for change in healthcare practice by using participatory theatre methods

Heape, C., Larsen, H. & Ryöppy, M., 2018, Illness narratives in practice: Potentials and challenges of using narratives in health-related contexts. Lucius-Hoene, G., Holmberg, C. & Meyer, T. (eds.). Oxford University Press, p. 175-187

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Book chapter › Research › peer-review

theater

narrative

pain

illness

health

Object theatre in field studies

Ryöppy, M., Bach Poulsen, S., Konstantinovs, P. & Ylirisku, S., 2018, Proceedings of Participatory Innovation Conference 2018. p. 286-293

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Article in proceedings › Research › peer-review

Open Access

Theaters

61 Downloads (Pure)

PDFI: Participatory design fiction with vulnerable users

Nägele, L. V., Ryöppy, M. & Wilde, D., 29. Sep 2018, NordiCHI 2018: Revisiting the Life Cycle - Proceedings of the 10th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction. Association for Computing Machinery, p. 819-831

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Article in proceedings › Research › peer-review

Open Access

File

Medicine

Health

Industry

User centered design

PROMETHEUS - empowering patients: Patient empowerment for effective health care - hen mod et effektivt sundhedsvæsen - für ein effektives Gesundheitswesen

Prell, F., Jünemann, K-P., Kalz, A., Heiberg Skouby, A., Grauslund, A-M. H., Knauf, A-F., Ehlers, C., Timmermann, C., Knutz, E., Böhler, G., Thybo Pihl, G., Larsen, H., Ammentorp, J., Lyhs, J., Wolderslund, M., Ryöppy, M., Krogh, P. G., Friis, P., Birkelund, R. & Markussen, T., 18. May 2018, Kiel: Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein. 258 p.

Research output: Book/anthology/thesis/report › Book › Communication

Open Access

75 Downloads (Pure)

Tracking Well-Being: Design Explorations Through Object Theatre

Heiberg Skouby, A., Ryöppy, M. & Mitchell, R., 20. Mar 2018, Proceedings of the Twelfth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction. Association for Computing Machinery, p. 744-747

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Article in proceedings › Research › peer-review

Open Access

File

Mockups

Theaters