Jonathan Romm

Jonathan Romm is a Professor in the Department of Design at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO), specializing in service design with a strong focus on healthcare applications. His work bridges design theory and practical implementation in complex welfare systems.

Romm's research interests center on service design methodologies, particularly in healthcare contexts. He investigates how design can facilitate innovation in welfare systems, with emphasis on co-design processes, embedded design labs, and the role of conversations as design materials. His work explores the 'in-betweenness' of service design practitioners who operate at the boundaries of multiple stakeholder groups within healthcare systems. Romm has developed frameworks for identifying person-centered unmet needs in rehabilitation and has pioneered approaches to establishing temporary design laboratories within healthcare organizations.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a consistent trajectory focusing on service design in healthcare ecosystems, with increasing attention to emotional dimensions of welfare systems, relational dynamics, and systemic approaches. His work has evolved from practical design applications to more theoretical contributions about the role of designers in complex systems.

Romm has been instrumental in developing the C3 Embedded Design Labs concept, which creates spaces for co-designing health and care services. His research demonstrates how design can facilitate generative emergence within large-scale healthcare networks and how conversations can serve as critical design materials in service innovation processes.

His work spans both theoretical contributions to service design literature and practical applications in Norwegian healthcare settings, including stroke rehabilitation and home healthcare services. Romm frequently collaborates with healthcare professionals, researchers from other disciplines, and design students in his projects.