Designing Inclusive Online Spaces for People Seeking AOD Support
Tracks
Monarch Room - In-Person Only
| Thursday, May 28, 2026 |
| 1:30 PM - 1:50 PM |
Overview
Ally Tukaluk, Queensland University Of Technology
Details
Three Key Learnings
1. The experiences of people with past AOD challenges in accessing and using digital products.
2. How these experiences directly impact the design of eHealth products.
3. The wider sector- and policy-related implications of these findings, and how we can work to making eHealth more equitable and inclusive for AOD clients.
1. The experiences of people with past AOD challenges in accessing and using digital products.
2. How these experiences directly impact the design of eHealth products.
3. The wider sector- and policy-related implications of these findings, and how we can work to making eHealth more equitable and inclusive for AOD clients.
Speaker
Ms Ally Tutkaluk
Phd Candidate
Queensland University Of Technology
Designing inclusive online spaces for people seeking AOD support
Abstract
EHealth products, such as websites and mobile applications, present an opportunity for people to receive flexible, cost-effective care for alcohol and other drug (AOD) concerns. However, there remains a significant gap across research, industry, and practice in understanding how people with AOD concerns access and engage with eHealth tools—and, in turn, how to design these products effectively. This is despite the practice of User Experience and design research being ways to improve the use and efficacy of eHealth products. In addition, while several design guidelines in industry exist for other health concerns such as neurodiversities and dementia, one does not exist for AOD concerns. This PhD study seeks to understand how eHealth products can be better designed for people seeking online support for AOD, and how marginalised populations-such as those living rurally, those who are CALD, and those with co-morbidities-may have their needs better reflected in product design. At the time of writing, one research activity with AOD clinicians has been completed, and by May two more research activities with clients will have been completed. This presentation will give an overview of the PhD project, including: the current gap in literature and the sector; results and analysis from completed research activities; and a commentary on the wider issues of equitable and inclusive access and use of digital healthcare in the AOD sector. My research also focuses on digital determinants of health and how intersectionality has impacted on this access and use.
Biography
Ally Tutkaluk is a PhD candidate at the Queensland University of Technology. Her proposed thesis explores the design of digital health products for people seeking support for alcohol and other drugs, which includes interrogating systematic barriers posted by health, IT, and socioeconomic structures. She has also worked on the design and communications of digital healthcare products for organisations including Lives Lived Well and the Leukaemia Foundation.