Temstem is an app for smartphones and tablets that enables those who suffer from hearing voices in their heads to actively suppress those voices by means of language games.
The app lets users tackle their problem directly and take control. The app is not a replacement for a psychiatrist or medication, but it does offer an innovative and effective self-help resource for people who suffer from this psychosis.
"The app gives people suffering from hearing voices in their heads a chance to regain control of their lives," says psychologist David van de Berg from Parnassia Groep, an organisation for mental health behind the development of the app by Reframing Studio. The name of the app, Temstem, is derived from "taming voices".
The Public Prize went to Edenspiekermann, ProRail, STBY and NS Travelers for their system for enabling dynamic boarding information at train platforms.
Through this public prize, initiator Het Nieuwe Instituut emphasises the importance of a broad public for the entire design field. More than 16.000 people have voted for their favorite design, both in the exhibition and online. The winner received 3.662 votes.
On Temstem, the jury report says:
‘The jury believes that “Temstem” is a brilliant example of the impact that design can have on real problems. The joint research by the health professionals of the Parnassia Groep and the Reframing Studio designers has resulted in a genuine tool that can have a major impact on the lives of its users. The app addresses a problem in one of the main arenas in contemporary design—the health care sector—and does it with the latest media. The international judging panel is in unanimous agreement with scout Caroline Hummels that Temstem is an exemplary product on the cutting edge of research and design, and consequently awards it the 2013 Rotterdam design Prize.’
The jury consisted of Caroline Baumann, director of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Edwin Heathcote, architecture and design critic, Virginia Tassinari, assistant professor social spaces at MAD University in Genk.