Maryam Shehzad

This project explores how design can support the often-overlooked emotional and psychological needs of young adult cancer survivors. While medical advancements have improved survival rates, many survivors continue to navigate complex feelings of isolation, loss of identity, and uncertainty long after treatment ends. These experiences are rarely addressed within conventional models of care.
Grounded in an autoethnographic approach, this project draws from the designer’s own experience as a young adult cancer survivor, alongside secondary research and thematic analysis. It identifies key emotional challenges such as isolation, disrupted routines, lack of agency, and the invisibility of survivorship struggles.
By translating intangible emotional states into tangible, navigable experiences, the project aims to foster self-awareness, validation, and a sense of control. It also opens up new possibilities for how design can function as a supportive tool within healthcare ecosystems, not as a replacement for clinical care, but as a complementary, human-centered approach to healing. Ultimately, this work advocates for more nuanced, empathetic design interventions that recognize survivorship as an ongoing, deeply personal journey

***

Maryam Shehzad is an artist and designer. Her practice sits at the intersection of design, health, and art, shaped by her academic background and professional experiences. Her current work explores the emotional and psychological dimensions of illness through an autoethnographic lens. As a cancer survivor, she brings a deeply personal perspective to her practice, investigating how design can foster more empathetic and accessible approaches to care. Her multidisciplinary work spans digital media and tactile formats, with a focus on storytelling, interactivity, and lived experience. She grew up in Karachi, Pakistan and attended Pratt Institute and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.