Reflections….. The post to rule them all
With the final video presentations behind us, I wanted to fully reflect on this project and the last half of the semester.
First I want to mention the video presentations. At first it was very stressful to have the video presentation sprung upon us and I personally have very little experience making videos. However I think our video turned out well and portrayed our specific process and experience rather well. Also the entire class’s videos were great and really showed all the different experiences people had. I really felt like I knew what each team went through all semester. The video presentation itself was different than the majority of classes and captured way more material than any other 5 minute presentation could have. However some more guidance or time on video making/expectations would have really sped up the process and polished them. We spent a large chunk of our time storyboarding and actually making/editing the video but I almost would have preferred to make more iterations and come up with a better physical prototype during that time. Then the class could have a dedicated week or so for video making. Overall though, I was very happy with the video format and all that it offered.
The project itself was an extremely valuable experience. I learned so much about the design process and how hard it is to go from a medical need to a physical prototype. Specifically the importance of feedback was monumental in our design process. We also realized how it’s important to take this feedback with a grain of salt and recognize biases. Our team got hung up on the feedback we received from healthcare professionals and constantly pivoted our design approach as a result. Given more time or better management on our part, I would have really liked to explore the idea of modular inflation combined with a monitoring or data feedback system. I slightly regret not focusing on one idea and creating more prototypes but I also think we gained an experience that some other teams didn’t. However, based on what I observed and personally seeing the effect that existing devices have on older patients, this automated inflation idea could have a profound effect on sedated patients in the PICU. Therefore I could see myself pursuing this further and coming up with final physical prototypes.
As far as the class goes in general, I enjoyed the free range we had on almost everything. It allowed us to do what we wanted and how we wanted, which I think was extremely valuable and shouldn’t be sacrificed. Too many classes sacrifice creativeness and “vagueness” for structure to make things easier for grading or teaching. But, the class could use a little more guidance as far as expectations and what will be due. Also I think the class would really benefit from being focused on the design process itself, and not the entire process from observation to need to final prototypes.
Lastly I want to emphasize that some of the information in this course was valuable and relatable. I used some material that we’ve learned to be successful in a number of my other classes. For instance, my final ideas report had a design component and this course taught me several skills and thought processes that allowed me to run a successful experiment. In the future I hope more design based classes will be taught in the biomedical engineering department and eventually an entire curriculum can be created around biodesign. It’s an important field and there really isn’t anything like it for students at UVA that are passionate about design, medicine, and biology.
**Just wanted to say thank you to the whole teaching team!
BME Design 