Seven Ways to Foster Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Research Involving Healthcare and Creative Research Disciplines

Making design work in the field of dementia requires interdisciplinary research. However, obstacles are likely to occur when healthcare and creative researchers work together. Analyzing the startup phase of ten interdisciplinary projects in the field of dementia, overweight and loneliness we found seven strategies to overcome these barriers: use boundary brokers, combine theory, combine research approaches, organize for collaboration, joint activities, separate activities, and use artefacts. As many dementia research projects involve exploring new products and technologies, particularly the use of artefacts might be an interesting strategy to foster the collaboration of healthcare and creative research disciplines.