Mark Thoburn on patient-centred design

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Mark Thoburn

Mark Thoburn
Mark Thoburn

When Mark Thoburn applied to the Digital Futures program at OCAD U, he’d already completed an undergraduate degree at Trent, a graduate degree in Journalism at the University of British Columbia, a decade of work as a documentary producer and a residency at the Canadian Film Centre’s Media Lab. He chose to study at OCAD U to develop his skills as an entrepreneur.  


Mark Thoburn - Wildflowers

Upon graduation in 2013, he started Mobio Interactive with a goal to change people’s lives. He knew that it would require a unique team. “There’s designers, scientists and programmers, and it’s the combination that creates a complete experience. It takes a diversity of skill sets to create a medical experience that’s more than just an app,” he says.


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Mobio Interactive’s first product is its Wildflowers meditation app, which uses design, gamification, mood tracking and heartrate tracking to help people develop a meditation practice. “We looked at mindfulness meditation and reinterpreted it on a digital platform to create something that in a health context will demonstrate mental health benefits,” Thoburn says. Two controlled studies at the University of Toronto have demonstrated improvements in both stress resilience (among students at exam time) and physical endurance (among student athletes). 

The company has recently partnered with Dutch insurance company Achmea Zilveren Kruis to deliver mindfulness to its customers, and is now developing a mindfulness-based cancer care program. 


Mark Thoburn - Wildflowers

Says Thoburn: “The work I do in the company is a continuation of what I did as a student at OCAD U. It’s about design iteration, and human-centred design, although in our case we call it patient-centred design. As a company we align with and embrace OCAD U in a big way. OCAD U is a place where work is very experimental, playful and creative. It supports taking risks, and you don’t get that elsewhere.” 


Mark Thoburn - Wildflowers

Thoburn’s company is part of OCAD U’s Imagination Catalyst program for entrepreneurs. “The main benefit of the Imagination Catalyst is community,” Thoburn says. “There’s a huge diversity of companies and skills, so you’re in an entrepreneurial ecosystem where people are tackling problems from different perspectives.”  

Find out more: mobiointeractive.com

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