Healthcare Design October 2021 - 18

HCD
EXPO
PREVIEW
Q&A
BRIGHT IDEAS
A LINGUIST BY EDUCATION,
Kate O'Neill
has studied more than
a dozen languages.
Now, as founder and
CEO of KO Insights, a
strategic advisory and
consultancy firm, she
spends most of her
time " talking tech "
with industry, business, and civic leaders to
help build data-led and technology-driven human
experiences. On Sunday, Oct. 24, she'll
kick off the 2021 HCD Expo with her keynote
presentation, " A Future So Bright. " Here,
O'Neill answers a few questions from Healthcare
Design about her work, the ongoing digital
transformation in the healthcare sector,
and what gives her hope.
Healthcare Design:Describe your work in 10
words or less.
Kate O'Neill: I want to say something like
" tweeting about robots, " but instead I'll offer
" helping humanity prepare for a future
of change at scale. "
You've got a new book coming out, " A Future
So Bright: How Strategic Optimism Can Restore
Our Humanity and Save the World. "
How do you defi ne strategic optimism?
It means envisioning the best outcomes and
knowing that by acknowledging that these
outcomes are possible, we are ethically
obligated to pursue them. We so often shy
away from what we think the best outcomes
might be, and end up giving full voice to our
cautions but not to our hopes. That limits
our progress right out of the gate and means
we're often the saboteurs of our own greatest
chances for success.
On a human level, what do you find we
fear most about the rising use of technology
and data?
A lot of people will talk about their fears of a
robot uprising (especially whenever one of
those new acrobatic robot videos goes viral).
But in the near term, they're more worried
about what they perceive as technology's
more imminent threats like job displacement
and replacement, being overwhelmed
by technological change, and also the sense
of being surrounded by soulless automation
that removes human warmth and connection.
Most of these fears arise from similar
confl icts-an existential disconnect between
technology experiences and what feels most
fundamentally human. I don't think in every
case that disconnect is actual, but it is perceived.
And it deepens the call to experience
creators to make sure they're thinking about
human needs and human meaning in the
process of building interactions at scale.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated
the need to consider the challenges
we'll face in the future?
Indeed, digital transformation is happening
for many industries in a much more accelerated
way as a result of the pandemic.
In healthcare, this pandemic has forced a
lot of discussions about availability of care,
coverage, and trustworthy information. It's
also given us a glimpse into a future with increased
digital and hybrid health services and
the need to design better experiences around
that future. But it has also been a foreshadowing
of some of the public health concerns
we're going to face with accelerating climate
change. The improvements we make may
shape how we care for large populations affected
by similar issues all at once, whether
that's an infectious virus, wildfire smoke inhalation,
or whatever else. It's daunting but
important work that's urgent and ongoing.
What's one emerging tech trend that you
think should be on this industry's radar?
I'm very excited about augmented reality
(AR), which is similar to virtual reality (VR)
but whereas VR generally requires headsets
or other fully immersive equipment, AR can
off er layers of contextual meaning through a
phone screen or other device. I can envision
great applications in healthcare experiences,
such as helping enable a patient to better visualize
their underlying anatomy to understand
an injury or a new treatment plan.
Looking back on the past year, what's one
thing that gives you hope for the future?
How many people-in how many ways-have
thought differently about other people's
needs and tried to modify their decisionmaking
for the good of others. Not in every
case, obviously, and not perhaps as much as
would have been helpful. But in vast parts of
the population, people really thought about
their actions and amended their lives accordingly.
To me that shows great possibility for
our understanding that everything is connected
and that our futures are tied up with
one another's.
KEYNOTE LINEUP
SUNDAY, OCT. 24: 8-9:15 A.M.
WELCOME AND OPENING KEYNOTE,
" A FUTURE SO BRIGHT "
Kate O'Neill, CEO, KO Insights and author
of " Tech Humanist. "
SUNDAY, OCT. 24: 12:30-2 P.M.
HEALTHCARE DESIGN MAGAZINE
AWARDS LUNCHEON
Healthcare Design magazine will honor
the winners of its annual competitions:
the Design Showcase, Remodel/Renovation
Competition, The HCD 10, and the
Rising Star awards .
MONDAY, OCT. 25: 8-9:15 A.M.
THE CENTER FOR HEALTH DESIGN
AWARDS CEREMONY AND
CHANGEMAKER KEYNOTE
The Center for Health Design presents its
annual award to George Tingwald, administrative
director of medical planning at
Stanford Health Care.
18
OCTOBER 2021
HCDMAGAZINE.COM
2021
21
HUNTINGTON CONVENTION CENTER OF CLEVELAND
http://www.HCDMAGAZINE.COM
Healthcare Design October 2021

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