Looking Back
Looking back on this January Term class, it was a great experience. I definitely learned to approach the design process from a different perspective; now I definitely feel much better equipped to approach problems through the lens of human-centered design. Honestly, I was surprised that every group in the class was able to identify and make progress toward solving a real, significant problem that our patients faced. This experience certainly gives me confidence for when I go out and have a job where I will have to solve real problems in the real world. Looking forward to what could be done in the future with our project, I realize that there are many, many steps between wiring together a microcontroller and some sensors that will rudimentarily solve your problem to having a small, compact, durable product that works flawlessly. I believe that entrepreneurs/inexperienced students such as ourselves are well equipped to frame problems, identify solutions that work, and prototype, but large, experienced corporations certainly have an advantage when it comes to producing a polished, final product.
The most difficult aspect of this class was time – since we were limited to 10 days, it was difficult to finish all of the work in such a short amount of time. While my group certainly did finish, it came at the expense of some sleep.
-Thomas Fafara
BME Design 