Aprille Chua EGDAR Framework Integrates Self Determination Theory and Design for Workplace Wellbeing

Peer Reviewed Open Access Research Offers Organizations a Novel Framework for Using Visual Design and Augmented Reality to Enhance Workplace Wellbeing

What if the walls of your organization could actively support your employees' psychological health? What if a simple graphic on a kitchen jug could prompt a moment of mindfulness, or a projection in a lobby could spark meaningful conversation among colleagues who rarely interact? The questions above sit at the heart of a peer-reviewed research study that introduces the EGDAR framework, a novel theoretical model developed by Dr. Aprille Chua at LASALLE College of the Arts, University of the Arts Singapore.

The research addresses a challenge that organizations across healthcare, corporate environments, and government institutions have been grappling with intensely: how to create physical and digital spaces that genuinely nurture employee wellbeing. The need for wellbeing-supporting environments is particularly urgent in healthcare settings, where the very professionals tasked with healing others often find themselves depleted, stressed, and struggling for recovery during their workday.

Dr. Chua's work takes a refreshingly integrative approach. The EGDAR framework brings together three established theoretical traditions: Self-Determination Theory from psychology, Salutogenic Design from architecture and environmental studies, and Positive Technology from human-computer interaction. The framework synthesizes the three traditions into a practical tool for designing workplace interventions. The result is a model that speaks to autonomy, competence, and relatedness while leveraging both environmental graphics and augmented reality to create spaces that actively promote flourishing.

For universities exploring innovative research methodologies, for government bodies seeking evidence-based approaches to workplace policy, and for enterprises looking to invest meaningfully in employee wellness infrastructure, Dr. Chua's research offers something genuinely valuable: a structured, tested, and academically rigorous pathway forward.

Understanding the Wellbeing Gap in Healthcare Work Environments

Healthcare workers occupy a unique position in our society. Healthcare professionals dedicate their professional lives to the wellbeing of others, yet the environments in which they work have historically been designed primarily with patients in mind. Hospital wayfinding systems guide visitors. Calming artwork soothes those awaiting treatment. Recovery rooms feature natural light and biophilic elements. Design considerations for patients are well-documented and widely implemented.

The research by Dr. Chua identifies something important: the professionals who spend eight, ten, or twelve hours daily within healthcare environments have received considerably less attention when designing spaces for their psychological needs. Administrative staff, nurses, technicians, and other healthcare employees navigate spaces that may support patient recovery while offering little intentional support for employee work recovery.

The wellbeing gap matters enormously. The COVID-19 pandemic brought into sharp relief what researchers had already been documenting: healthcare workers face elevated levels of burnout, emotional exhaustion, and psychological distress. Mandatory overtime, staffing challenges, and the cumulative weight of caring for others create conditions that demand thoughtful intervention. The Australian Government and National Mental Health Commission have both highlighted the interconnected challenges affecting healthcare workers and, consequently, patient outcomes.

The physical work environment plays a substantial role in employee satisfaction and health. Factors including ergonomic conditions, air quality, access to nature, and visual aesthetics all contribute to how workers experience their daily professional lives. Yet the combination of Environmental Graphic Design and Augmented Reality as a communication platform for employee wellbeing has remained largely unexplored until the EGDAR research emerged.

Dr. Chua's study engaged fourteen healthcare administrative employees in developing and testing three prototypes within a simulated healthcare environment. The research adopted an experimental case study approach, utilizing an adapted double-diamond process that emphasized collaboration with participants to explore potential future work recovery scenarios. The participatory methodology ensured that the resulting framework reflects genuine employee experiences and needs rather than theoretical assumptions alone.

Self-Determination Theory: A Psychological Foundation for Design Practice

At the core of the EGDAR framework sits Self-Determination Theory, a macro-theory of human motivation and personality development that has accumulated decades of empirical support. Self-Determination Theory posits that humans possess three innate and universal psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. When the three needs are satisfied, psychological growth and wellbeing flourish. When the needs are thwarted, motivation diminishes and wellbeing suffers.

Autonomy refers to the need for a sense of choice and control over one's actions. In workplace contexts, autonomy translates to employees feeling they can initiate actions independently and influence their work circumstances. The opposite of autonomy is not dependence but rather the experience of being controlled, pressured, or coerced.

Competence involves the need to feel capable and effective in one's tasks and interactions. The competence need encompasses a sense of mastery and confidence in one's abilities. Sustained engagement and productivity depend significantly on whether employees experience themselves as skilled contributors who can successfully navigate their professional challenges.

Relatedness captures the need for belonging, connection, and acceptance by others. A supportive social environment characterized by trust and empathy is vital for satisfying the relatedness requirement. Even in task-oriented work settings, the quality of interpersonal connections shapes overall wellbeing.

What makes Dr. Chua's research particularly valuable for organizations is how the study translates psychological constructs into design principles. The research demonstrates that environmental factors, specifically visual graphics and augmented reality technologies, can be deliberately designed to support the three basic psychological needs. The EGDAR framework moves the conversation from abstract psychology into concrete design practice that facility managers, HR departments, and organizational leaders can actually implement.

The framework acknowledges that wellbeing involves both heritable factors and environmental influences. While organizations cannot change the genetic predispositions their employees bring to work, organizations can shape environmental conditions that either support or undermine psychological need satisfaction. Environmental design represents an actionable domain where thoughtful investment can yield meaningful returns for employee flourishing.

The Architecture of the EGDAR Framework: Three Integrated Sectors

The EGDAR framework organizes its theoretical synthesis into three interconnected sectors, each addressing a different dimension of employee wellbeing. Understanding the three sectors provides organizations with a structured approach to designing interventions that comprehensively support their workforce.

The first sector, called One-Self, addresses an individual's sense of autonomy and personal growth. The One-Self sector links the SDT need for autonomy with Salutogenic Design's principle of Manageability, which emphasizes an individual's capacity to cope with challenges and manage their environment. By incorporating Positive Technology's hedonic devices, which create pleasurable and engaging experiences, interventions in the One-Self sector focus on self-care, mindfulness, and work recovery. The goal is empowering employees to take control of their own wellbeing, fostering a sense of volition and independence.

The second sector, One-Skills, focuses on the employee's need for competence. The One-Skills sector links to Salutogenic Design's principle of Comprehensibility, which involves creating environments that are easy to understand and navigate. By leveraging Positive Technology's concept of eudaimonic happiness, which emerges from engaging in activities aligned with one's skills, the One-Skills sector promotes learning, digital literacy, and sensemaking. Interventions designed within the One-Skills sector help employees master their environment and tasks, reinforcing their confidence and sense of accomplishment.

The third sector, One-with-Others, addresses the fundamental human need for relatedness. The One-with-Others sector aligns with Salutogenic Design's principle of Meaningfulness, which creates environments providing a sense of purpose and social connection. By employing Positive Technology's social technologies, interventions in the One-with-Others sector facilitate interpersonal connections, teamwork, and emotional intelligence. The outcome is a collaborative culture with strengthened social bonds, vital for a supportive and resilient workplace.

What distinguishes the EGDAR framework is how the model integrates the three sectors as complementary rather than competing priorities. A single intervention can address multiple psychological needs simultaneously. A well-designed environmental graphic might support autonomy through non-prescriptive visual prompts while also fostering relatedness by creating shared conversational touchpoints among colleagues. The holistic approach reflects the reality that human wellbeing is multidimensional and interconnected.

From Theory to Practice: The Three Prototypes and Their Findings

The research moved beyond theoretical construction into empirical testing through three distinct prototypes, each situated in a different workplace context. The three prototypes demonstrate how the EGDAR framework translates into tangible design interventions.

Prototype A consisted of a wall canvas using two-dimensional projection in a communal office lobby. The motion-graphic projection created a tranquil and engaging ambience that encouraged moments of self-care and mindfulness. Participants described the experience as pleasant, beautiful, and welcoming. Prototype A functions as a hedonic device providing visual and aesthetic prompts for employees while supporting autonomy through voluntary, non-intrusive opportunities to detach and refresh.

Particularly interesting were the social dynamics that emerged from the wall canvas prototype. Participants recognized that the wall canvas could serve as a conversation piece, connecting colleagues who do not normally interact. The shared visual experience transformed a passive waiting space into a communal area that supported both individual recovery and social connection. One participant noted the potential for increased feelings of connectedness with other colleagues.

Prototype B involved a jug and cup with augmented reality functionality in the workplace kitchen. Prototype B used AR on everyday objects to provide subtle, engaging prompts for self-care. The familiarity of the objects allowed the intervention to remain non-intrusive while encouraging employees to take moments for mindfulness and reflection. Participants found the messaging clear and easy to understand quickly, with direct practical application.

The social implications of Prototype B extended beyond individual self-care. Regular reminders to prioritize wellbeing facilitated collective self-regulation and team reflexivity. The shared experience led to improved communication, trust, and empathy within teams. One participant described the experience as similar to having a manager or colleague encourage healthier behaviors, but in a gentle, technology-mediated form.

Prototype C employed icon stickers with mobile-based augmented reality at individual workstations. Prototype C used minimalist AR icons on a mobile device, with abstract and minimalist visual styles chosen intentionally to support cognitive recovery. Participants appreciated the personalization potential and the opportunity to switch up the graphics frequently.

The mobile-based AR component proved essential for developing competence. By requiring employees to use digital skills to interact with the AR content, Prototype C enhanced technological fluency and helped with sensemaking of information. The interaction between digital and physical environments made the work environment more intelligible and engaging. Participants also noted how the intervention could encourage connection with nearby colleagues, as prompts to stretch or move could become shared activities.

Implications for Organizations, Institutions, and Policymakers

The EGDAR framework offers substantial value for organizations seeking evidence-based approaches to workplace wellbeing. Human resources departments, facility managers, organizational leaders, and policymakers can draw practical guidance from the research.

The framework provides a structured language for discussing workplace wellbeing interventions. Rather than implementing wellness initiatives in an ad hoc manner, organizations can systematically consider how their investments address autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The structured approach supports more coherent strategy development and more meaningful evaluation of outcomes.

The research highlights the importance of visual design that avoids being overly prescriptive. Participants in the study preferred abstract visuals over extensive text, as the abstract approach supports autonomy and personal interpretation. For organizations considering environmental graphics or digital wellness tools, the finding suggests that design choices matter significantly. Heavy-handed messaging may undermine the very psychological needs the intervention aims to support.

The augmented reality component offers a solution to what the research describes as display fatigue. Static environmental graphics, however well-designed, can fade into the background over time. AR provides a dynamic, on-demand method for emotional engagement and reflection, giving employees control over what, when, and how they engage with wellbeing content. The AR approach respects individual autonomy while introducing flexibility that static designs cannot achieve.

For government bodies and academic institutions interested in workplace policy, the EGDAR research demonstrates how interdisciplinary synthesis can generate novel frameworks with practical applications. The combination of psychology, architecture, and human-computer interaction creates something that none of these disciplines could produce in isolation. The integration model may inform how research funding and collaborative initiatives are structured.

Organizations interested in applying the EGDAR insights to their own contexts can explore the full egdar framework research through the open-access publication available at ACDROI, where the complete methodology, theoretical foundations, and detailed findings are documented for practical reference and adaptation.

Visual Communication as a Wellbeing Infrastructure

One of the more subtle contributions of the EGDAR research is how the study repositions visual communication within organizations. Environmental graphics are often treated as wayfinding tools or decorative elements, secondary considerations in facility planning. The EGDAR framework suggests something more substantial: visual communication can function as wellbeing infrastructure.

The reframing has implications for how organizations allocate resources and expertise. If environmental graphics and augmented reality can meaningfully support employee psychological needs, then design decisions in the environmental communication domain deserve the same strategic attention given to other wellness investments. The research provides a theoretical rationale for elevating design considerations in organizational planning.

The findings also suggest that simple interventions can have meaningful effects. The prototypes tested in the EGDAR research were not elaborate or expensive. A projection in a lobby, AR overlays on kitchen objects, and icon stickers at workstations represent achievable implementations for most organizations. The sophistication is in the theoretical grounding and intentional alignment with psychological needs, not in technological complexity or financial investment.

For universities with design programs, the EGDAR research offers a compelling example of how theoretical frameworks can guide practice. Students learning environmental graphic design, interaction design, or workplace architecture can see how academic rigor translates into applied solutions. The methodology, which combined focus groups, semi-structured interviews, prototype development, and think-aloud protocols, provides a template for practice-based research.

The collaborative approach emphasized throughout the research also models an important principle: effective wellbeing interventions emerge from working with the people the interventions are meant to serve. The fourteen healthcare employees who participated in the study were not passive subjects but active collaborators in exploring potential futures. The participatory orientation respects the autonomy that the framework itself identifies as fundamental to wellbeing.

Future Directions and Broader Applications

While the EGDAR research focused on healthcare administrative employees, the EGDAR framework itself is not limited to healthcare contexts. The psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are universal. The principles of Salutogenic Design apply wherever built environments shape human experience. Positive Technology concepts translate across sectors and industries.

Organizations in education, government, corporate enterprise, and creative industries can adapt the framework to their specific contexts. The three-sector structure provides a consistent analytical tool while remaining flexible enough to accommodate diverse workplace cultures and physical environments.

The research acknowledges certain limitations that point toward future directions. The study was conducted in a simulated healthcare environment with a small sample size. Long-term implementation studies in live settings would provide valuable insights into how the interventions perform over time. Questions remain about how the novelty of AR and environmental graphic interventions evolves with familiarity and how social connection effects might change as interventions become routine.

Comparative studies between text-heavy and visually-oriented interventions could provide quantitative data on their respective effects on employee wellbeing metrics. Quantitative comparisons would strengthen the practical guidance available to organizations making design decisions. The research opens multiple pathways for subsequent investigation by scholars interested in workplace design, organizational psychology, or human-computer interaction.

For enterprises considering pilot implementations, the prototype descriptions offer starting points for experimentation. The wall canvas approach requires projection equipment and thoughtful graphic design. The AR-enabled objects require mobile technology and content development. The icon stickers represent a lower-barrier entry point for organizations exploring the EGDAR concepts. Each approach can be adapted, combined, and refined based on organizational context and employee feedback.

Synthesizing Design, Psychology, and Technology for Human Flourishing

The EGDAR framework represents something valuable in how we think about workplace environments: a rigorous synthesis that brings together established theories to address contemporary challenges. Dr. Aprille Chua's research demonstrates that visual design and augmented reality can serve as meaningful tools for supporting the psychological needs that underlie human motivation and wellbeing.

For academic institutions, the EGDAR research exemplifies interdisciplinary scholarship with practical implications. For government bodies, the framework offers an evidence-based model for workplace policy considerations. For enterprises, the EGDAR framework provides a structured approach to wellness investments that goes beyond surface-level interventions to address fundamental psychological needs.

The three sectors of One-Self, One-Skills, and One-with-Others offer a memorable organizing structure that can guide design decisions, evaluation criteria, and strategic planning. The emphasis on visual communication that respects autonomy, supports competence development, and fosters relatedness provides design principles that translate across contexts.

As organizations continue navigating questions about how physical and digital environments shape employee experience, frameworks like EGDAR provide valuable guidance. The research demonstrates that thoughtful design, grounded in psychological understanding and tested with real employees, can create spaces that actively support human flourishing rather than merely containing human activity.

What might your organization's spaces look like if they were intentionally designed to support autonomy, competence, and relatedness? And how might that investment in environmental wellbeing infrastructure transform the daily experience of the people who make your mission possible?