An architecture of feeling: a participatory design blueprint for a co-designed roadmap for the regeneration of mental health care ecosystems using emotion mapping

Community-centric, experientially driven and relational approaches to systemic change lag in mental health research translation and systems transformation. To address this, a participatory designed blueprint for a living national roadmap was created. Using experience-based co-design as a framework, annual blueprint activities conducted since 2022 have included: literature and policy reviews; open ended surveys generating thousands of priorities from more than 600 people; eco-mapping; and public co-design of implementation actions to meet priorities; and, symposia. Online emotion mapping was used to prioritize 50 topics for the roadmap across mental health research, mental health care improvement and social determinants. Eighty-eight people who opted-in from the annual survey, with lived-experience of mental ill-health, and people who had experiences as carer, family and kinship group took part. The priority topics were designed into a pocket map to outline the priorities that mattered most for people and this provided the foundations to grow an architecture of feeling for ecosystem regeneration. The roadmap includes pathways to outline the nuanced views of priority populations such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, families, younger people and children. The roadmap has supported the development of research and translation goals of a National Centre which are reviewed and refreshed annually.