Ruth Barnard Email & Phone Number

Melbourne, Vic, Au

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

I help organisations who have the power to positively support the health and wellbeing of people and our planet. I help them to get unstuck, re-connected and inspired.I do this by bringing the patient, user or customer and the ultimate vision into the foreground and by using my expertise in design for social innovation.

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

As the primary experience research consultant I leveraged my specialised qualitative research expertise, collaborating closely with the client to inform the redesign of their website aimed at expanding customer acquisition. My role involved conducting comprehensive user research to uncover existing pain points and formulate strategic design recommendations. This project included a detailed report and the delivery of a debrief session to facilitate informed decision-making, while also providing the client with the opportunity for further questions and ongoing support.

Wellington, Wellington Region, New Zealand

This project was initiated by two Māori founders, developing a Marae wellbeing app with WorkSafe's support. I guided the team from their broad concept to a clear vision through a series of workshops and user feedback. Transitioning to the design phase with four dedicated members of WorkSafes’ innovation team, we created iterations and conducted user testing, resulting in a functional Figma prototype and a compelling brand pitch that centered around a holistic model of wellbeing. The project received accolades from WorkSafe and the founders, showcasing the success of the collaboration in fostering a strong sense of whanaungatanga, trust, and respect between iwi and government, while empowering the founders and team to realize dreams and reach greater heights.

I assisted Hospice in enhancing their services by conducting surveys with patients and staff, gathering insights and presenting recommendations to the Trustees. This was a shared journey of understanding the human side of care and how the taboo topic of death is communicated and understood. The CEO's feedback echoed the resonance of my work – a team now more connected, attuned to potential future challenges, and better equipped to address them.

Rotorua, Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand

I played a key role in the innovation teams transformative effort at Lakes District Health Board (LDHB) during the pandemic, blending professionalism with empathy. Using visual tools like journey maps and creative posters, I identified gaps and opportunities for improvement in services, approach, team cohesion and communication and education.To connect with vulnerable populations, I created a superhero-themed campaign, aiming to empower people who may be isolated due to factors such as location, age, or tech poverty, with clear information. Presenting these insights to stakeholders, I fostered open dialogue and collaborative planning sessions, shaping a more unified vision at LDHB.My approach bridged professionalism with compassion, navigating complex healthcare terrain for positive outcomes.

Wellington, Wellington Region, New Zealand

"Ruth worked with us on several projects over 2020/21 as a writer and concept developer. She is a creative and imaginative person: it was really helpful for us that she was able not just to write but also to illustrate some of the concepts. She is well organised and invariably cheerful and positive - a good person to have both in the office and in front of clients." -James McLean, DirectorWorking as a full time contractor for Story Inc I enjoyed bringing insights and creativity to this talented team. I have helped the team to create visitor experiences for clients from across the Museum, Heritage and Cultural and Commercial sectors providing an inspiration booklet for an exhibition proposal, visitor journey maps and aiding with idea generation. I also provided research for Museum experiences and writing for internal and front facing purposes such as scripts, websites and more.

Wellington, Wellington Region, New Zealand

As a freelance writer I create original content that educates and inspires. I have written for New Zealand Listener, New Zealand Gardener, NOTED, Good and Wellington's CAPITAL magazine as well as regularly writing educational and interactive pieces for Upstart, a New Zealand children’s magazine and AQUiLA children’s magazine in the UK. I also enjoyed a brief stint writing SEO articles for Kollectify, a sustainable e-commerce agency based in the U.K.

'Speculative Design' Tutor (March-June 2016)'Ethnographic Design Research' Tutor (July-Nov 2016 and 2017)

Wellington & Wairarapa, New Zealand

During my university studies, I and two other designers conducted research for Clemenger’s brand strategy team, this informed and inspired their pitch to their potential client, NZ Army. Our research was received very well and lead to positive discussion and inspiration for the brand strategy team who later went on to win their creative pitch, thus supplying advertising for the NZ Army.

National Library Of New Zealand

I was part of the 3D Digital Archive of the Future project, a collaboration between Victoria University of Wellington and the National Library of New Zealand. We explored the potential role of 3D Printers in libraries. As a Research Assistant my tasks included developing, pitching and presenting creative design outputs, contributing to and editing the project report, creating stories and themes for the project and many more valuable tasks.

Mdes, Design For Social Innovation

I was awarded the CoRE MedTech postgraduate Scholarship to write a thesis and conduct human focused design research for female healthcare.

Bachelor’S Degree, Bachelor Of Media Studies (Hons) Master Of Design For Social Innovation (Mdes)

Master of Design for Social Innovation (July 2016- July 2017) BA Hons Media Studies (2015) BA Design for Social Innovation (2013-2014) BA.