Author: emmelynluu
Video Review
During our final class meeting of the semester, I watched the videos each design group created to portray their design process and final design. The projects covered a wide range and I thought each need and solution were very unique! It was interesting to see how each group approached the medical design project and how the different group dynamics led to a product that no other group would have thought of. Although the video final assignment was open-ended, I hadn’t expected the videos to vary by as much as they did. It was obvious that some groups had more video editing experience than others, but I don’t think that the lack of experience took away from any of the group’s videos at all. Through the videos it was clear what each group emphasized in their process and that each group put a lot of time into developing their product over the course of this semester. The video offered a lot of pros such as allowing us to condense much more information into 4-6 minutes than an in-person presentation would have done, allowed us to film at different locations important to our project, and allowed groups to show interviews of doctors that they most likely would not have been able to show/conduct on the day of the presentation. As a presenter, I really enjoyed the video presentations because I did not feel as much pressure as I would have in a typical in-person presentation. However, even with all these positives, there were some negatives. It may be due to lack of video editing skills or some other factor, but to me it seems much easier to get through one’s energy and excitement to the audience in an in-person interview. In addition, I wish that it had been possible to see (and possibly hold) everyone’s prototypes as well as hold demonstrations in real life.
This was a great class! I particularly liked how this class was not a typical lecture-style course. I enjoyed all of the clinical experiences, guest speakers, and interactive activities that allowed me to get to know and work with my classmates 🙂
Presenting Your Design
Over the past few months I have been working with my design group to identify needs and brainstorm possible solutions. As I mentioned in my previous post, our first design did not address the overarching need we later identified. It was difficult to come back to the drawing board after all of the time and effort we had spent on our initial designs. In the end though, it worked out for the best. After many hours of research, interviews, shadowing, and discussion, we have finally reached a decision as to a design that would best address the need to increase nurse involvement in X-ray procedures for NICU patients because their expertise is needed to adjust the patient and ensure that the process is safe for all of those involved. In just one day everyone will be presenting their design projects through five minute videos! Through the video-making process I’ve realized that much of the work that happens behind-the-scenes is not presented to the general public. Even in videos that are meant to highlight the design process, it is difficult to portray all of the work put into observing, brainstorming, prototyping, testing ,etc. Although at first five minutes may seem like a significant amount of time, my group soon realized that it wasn’t. The time constraint forced us to consider what was most important to relay to the audience. From observations, to needs, to how our project evolved over time, to prototypes and its limitations, there was much to cover. Overall, I found the process of recording everything we’ve done this semester in terms of our medical center team project a great way to reflect on everything we’ve worked on and our approach to the project.
The Design Process
Over the past few weeks I have been working with my group in BME Design to identify needs and develop solutions for people involved in the pediatrics department at the University of Virginia, whether that be patients, doctors, nurses, etc. As I’ve worked through the process, I’ve learned how difficult it is to set anything in stone. Although identifying needs may sound easy, it hasn’t been. Furthermore, identifying the reason behind the need is even more challenging.
My group first began the project by identifying a need from the observation that doctors were frustrated by the presence of leads in x-ray images that oftentimes obstructed the view of an organ. To address this need we began researching possible ways of preventing leads from appearing in x-rays. From online research to visiting the Dark Matter Lab at UVA, we pursued a number of different avenues. However, we came to realize that the root of the problem was the lack of nurse assistance during an x-ray procedure. Although eliminating leads from x-ray images would solve one problem, it won’t solve the overarching problem. As such, we’ve been working on another solution that will hopefully address the issue.
The process has been long and repetitive, but the many iterations has led to improvements. Through feedback we’ve received on our ideas and designs, I’ve realized that it is important to reach out to a diverse group of people. Different groups of people have different thoughts on designs because it may affect them in different ways and everyone comes from a unique background that gives them their own personalized perspective.
The end is almost here, but there is much left to do. And of course, the design process never ends – everything can be improved in some way!
Personal Health Project Part 1
For the Personal Health Project, I have been working with Megan Green. While talking to Megan about some ways she should like to improve her lifestyle to promote her health, Megan expressed interest in consistently exercising every day. If possible, she mentioned that she would either like to go swimming or attend triathlon workouts in the morning before class. However, she would be content with going to the gym and doing some type of cardio exercise such as running in intervals, using the elliptical, or cycling as well as doing some type of strength training or stretching. These goals were set because Megan already enjoyed going to the gym but she wasn’t able to do it as often as she would like to and she wanted to get back into the routine she had as a first year. As a first year, Megan went to the gym at 6:30am at least 3 times a week.
While working with Megan during the PHP, I often texted her to ask if she was sleeping early to go work out or whether she had already worked out. In addition, I tried to find her a partner to workout with at triathlon practices. I had her document time she spent walking, exercise activities, time spent doing each activity, and angle of her straddle. Throughout the course of the project, Megan only exercised once in the morning because she had meetings or slept in due to late nights up studying. Looking back, Megan thinks that the biggest hurdle to exercising early was her sleep schedule. Whereas first year she went to sleep at 10pm, as a third year Megan has been scheduling meetings much later in the night and regularly sleeps at 1am or later. Because her sleep schedule has shifted, she is more comfortable doing things in the night which led her to work out later in the day.
Initially, possibly due to the snow, Megan didn’t work out for the first week in which data was collected. However, during the final ten days, Megan worked out for seven of the days, which was relatively consistent. At first her workouts mostly consisted of cardio, but by the end of this part of the Personal Health Project, Megan’s workouts were balanced pretty evenly between cardio and strength exercises/stretching. I found that if she made arrangements to exercise with a partner or had a prior commitment, such as an intramural team, Megan had a 100% turnout rate. However, if Megan was only going to exercise by herself, whether she went or not mostly depended on her schedule. She confirmed that being held accountable pushed her to go to the gym. When I texted her to ask if she was going or if she had gone to the gym, it was not as powerful as actually going to the gym with her because there was no one physically waiting for her so she didn’t feel as if she was letting someone down as much. Aside from the time Megan spent deliberately exercising (typically 60-90 minutes each day she exercised), Megan spent an average of 83.5 minutes a day walking. Whether Megan goes to the gym or not, Megan usually exercises at least the 30 minutes recommended by experts.
From this experience, Megan said that she grew to really enjoy wearing her PolarA300 watch to track her physical activity. She would set an activity level goal and felt really proud and happy when she saw herself reach it. In addition, it wasn’t difficult for her to go to the gym. Through this project, Megan carried an extra pair of shoes around with her for the first time and found that keeping workout clothes on hand was not as much of a hassle as she expected. In addition, she learned that spending only one hour at the gym could allow her to get in a great workout.
Looking back on this experience, as someone trying to help another person reach a goal, I learned that it is important to constantly stay in contact with the person and receive feedback from him/her. I should have asked Megan more questions about her workouts and used that information to adjust interventions as needed. I hope to improve upon this on the second part of the project and provide a more structured plan for Megan to help her relieve the tightness in her hamstrings.
Emmelyn – About Me
Hello! My name is Emmelyn Luu and I am a 3rd year biomedical engineering undergraduate student at the University of Virginia. After graduating from the University of Virginia, I would like to pursue a career in the medical field. Although I am focused on obtaining a medical degree, I would also like to be involved in design and innovation. Through Introduction to Human Centered Design, I hope to learn more about the design process in general and how to approach problems with the users in mind and tailor solutions towards the users’ needs.
BME Design 