Rate My Professor Stephen Reay

Stephen Reay is a Professor of Design in the School of Art and Design at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), serving as Director of Good Health Design, a collaborative design studio. He holds a PhD from the University of Canterbury, an M.Phil. from AUT, and an M.For.Sc. with Distinction. Originally trained in biology and ecology, Reay returned to study design, joining AUT where he was appointed Associate Professor in 2010 and elevated to Professor in 2019. His research investigates design-led approaches to healthcare, focusing on user-centered design, co-design methods, medical device usability, hospital wayfinding, virtual reality in mental health and education, antibiotic stewardship, and patient experiences with health tools. Through Good Health Design, Reay leads multidisciplinary teams of designers, academics, clinicians, and industry professionals to prototype innovative products and services that improve health and wellbeing outcomes.

Reay has produced 113 publications, accumulating 2,076 citations. Key works include "Balancing Innovation and Responsibility: Framework for Designing User-Centred Virtual Reality Applications for Forensic Mental Health Care" (2025), "Evaluating Privacy and Safety Measures for Children in VR-Aided Education: Gaps and Recommendations" (2025), "Navigating complexity in design for health internships to enhance student’s real-world learning" (2025), "Thinking through colour: designing a collaborative paint-based co-design method" (2024), "Prioritized strategies to improve diagnosis and early management of cerebral palsy for both Māori and non-Māori families" (2024), "Co-designing accessible co-design" (2023), and "Patients' perspectives on digital health tools" (2023). The Design for Health and Wellbeing Lab, under his co-direction, won the supreme Purple Pin award at the Best Awards 2015 for its work at Auckland City Hospital. Reay's teaching integrates research and practical experiences to critique design theory and principles, fostering interdisciplinary education in design for health.