Let’s talk about
pain.

Pain and suffering is on the rise. With an increase in disease, mental health struggles and opioid overdoses, it is crucial that we start to open up the conversation about pain - especially when designing for people in pain.

The Open Pain Lab started as an initiative during Amy van den Hooven’s Master’s in Design at the University of Bergen. This was a way to involve more people in the design process of each of her pain related projects.

After graduation, Amy has continued to expand the Lab and is working with students and researchers at the University of Bergen. The current project that she is working on is called Gutsy Objects.

Meet the Team

This is a team of researchers and designers that are in the fields of design, medicine and humanities. We are all passionate about opening up the conversation about pain and improving the lives of those that are suffering.


  • Designer and Researcher

    Designing for change is at the core of Amy’s design work. Her background in design started at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada, where she studied environmental design. During her time at KMD, Amy has become a multidisciplinary designer that seeks to take a collaborative design approach in tackling complex issues related to health and well-being. Whether Amy is collaborating to design something intangible, like a service or system, or tangible, like a space or object, creating a discourse that can lead to positive change is Amy’s ultimate goal as a designer.


  • Medical student, UiB

    Mia is a fifth year medical student that specializes in the area of innovation and medicine. She works firsthand with patients and uses her experiences to come up with new ideas. She is passionate about the topic of pain communication and finding ways to better understand patients within the medical world.

    Current project collaboration: Gutsy Objects