Author: nwasby
post 5 – some thoughts on the class
First, a small, picky, wording thing. With the name of the class being “Design and Innovation in Medicine,” alot of people came into this class with the idea it would look like our version of Design and Discovery. I was expecting the last four weeks of the class to look like more like the entire semester, and I think others did too! It seems like there was A LOT of need identification, so maybe a title that included observation, etc. would be a little more accurate. Or at least a description that agrees with that.
Regardless, I think my abilities to identify a need and also not get caught into one type of solution were strengthened. I think that I was able to have a better eye for observation, and overall my definition of design has broadened to include things like the PHP project, methods, etc.
It’s not just creating physical things, but it is about improving a product, habit, way of life, function, and so many more things that just involve people. Design, for me, really is a study of how people work and think, and how other people can create something that impacts the way people work and think for the better.
post 4 – video production thoughts (post-presentation)
There were a couple things I found really cool about everyone’s videos during class today. I definitely agree with (I can’t remember who said this..) the comment that each group’s artistic leanings, personalities, and creativity were seen in the videos.
Overall Reviews / Things I liked per group’s video and/or solution:
- (Leah, Brooke, Debbie) -> First of all, I think the use of common items in their solution was incredible. Using a bendy straw to solve their need – what??? That’s incredible. Extremely smart. And they didn’t set out to reinvent the wheel. I’m way more impressed with their ability to adapt common technology for their own purposes.
- (Alex, Casey, Kelly) -> Alex killed the narration in this one. The video itself was well done, and I thought the use of the whiteboard was done in a way that didn’t seem cheesy or over the top. I think the device that they ended up going after was incredibly ambitious and definitely not able to be even closely accomplished within these last couple weeks. However, with the limited time available, I think they did a really good job showing just a single function of their hoped-for design, which was inflation.
- (Trey, Albert, Tom) -> Video was a perfect mix of information, comfort, and humor. Even when yall were just telling me ‘dry cereal’ information, it still was incredible captivating. Yalls prototype was also dope.
- (Katherine, Jay, Roo) -> Use of outside graphics was definitely good, since alot of your pathophys. in the beginning was a little complicated. I really liked yalls focus on compliance and social factors. I think yall can really go far on this one!
- (Sanaa, Nick, Maddie) -> n/a lol
- (David, Emmelyn, Luma) -> Great job in reaching out and grabbing that room for your video! I thought it added alot to it, rather than just saying how it would happen. Showing it was crucial. I liked yalls implementation of bluetooth as well! That was something that I think the rest of us were not as daring to tackle.
- (Emily, Megan, Reilly) -> I like the ‘newscaster’ frame yall used with Megan. Device-wise, if yall can make this work – I think it would be pretty revolutionary.
prototyping thoughts – post 3
Last semester, I tried going straight to 3D printing for my first prototype. It failed pretty miserably to say the least. I spent so much time trying to get the machine to work and before you knew it, 2 weeks had gone by.
I felt a similar push this semester, but thought otherwise since I had that past experience. Our ‘final’ prototype actually has no 3D printed parts, and had honestly turned out a lot better than any of my designs turned out last semester.
While a lot of people claim 3D printing is a feasible prototyping strategy, I disagree in most cases. After having what I would consider very successful prototyping sessions, I think my preferred order of things to work with (at least for our design – I know they’ll change depending on what one need to make) are:
- Tape!!! This has been so helpful in holding things together and also for layering it to form shims.
- Pens/Pencils/Popsicle Sticks
- Foam
Some thoughts – post 2
After going to the PICU, I was caught off guard by one common complaint by both doctors and nurses on the floor – the aesthetics. Honestly – I went in thinking that there would be some device that just totally was falling short. Either EPIC, the IVs/pumps, maybe even the beds themselves! While all those came up here and there, the common denominator – and the one that received about half the discussion – was something dealing with aesthetics, space management, activities, etc. Bottom line – it wasn’t a device.
Maybe it’s the part of the traditional engineer in me that can’t be at peace with that, but I think it’s something really important to grasp onto. Even if you’re in a facility that has a high procedural success rate, great doctors, and good funding, there still is an aesthetic element that cannot be ignored. Wesley, a 7ish year-old we talked to for a while, wanted murals of animals on the walls. He was equally concerned about there being color and life in the place than the treatments themselves.
I think the important thing to think of when you’re designing anything – a device, a procedure, a space, whatever – is that you are designing for people. You’re not designing for a condition. It’s not just a name on a piece of paper. They have feelings, desires, wants, and preferences. No matter how much we want to boil down needs to a physiological condition sometimes, we can’t do it fully. There’s a human aspect to it, and there always will be.
Nick and Maddie’s PHP Findings
Maddie’s Findings-
With regards to interviewing and assessing my partner’s data for the PHP I learned a lot about how we choose to identify our own needs for improvement, often times working backwards from what we believe is a symptom of an underlying self identified flaw. For example, on the surface Nick simply wanted to improve his stamina so he could enjoy more physical activities with his friends, but after examining his habits and daily routine he determined that the best way for him to improve his energy would be to regularize his sleep schedule. By creating a journey map for my partner, I learned not only about his motivations and assumed relationships of cause and effect between different aspects of his personal well-being, but also my own.
Similarly, when collecting and analyzing data for both of our goals I learned that these assumed relationships might not always hold true. Over my period of intervention I actually did not find that increased cardio helped me fall asleep earlier. This is not to say that the exercise was invaluable, but rather that the root of my sleep problem my lie elsewhere. This also provided me with a great starting point for my new personal health goal, for which I will try and examine the immediate 30 minutes before and after sleep, and how they affect each other, the quality of my sleep, and my energy level throughout the day.
Nick’s Findings –
There were a couple things I took away from having to do this first PHP.
- I know David said it over and over but it really was hard to gather quantifiable data for my partner, Maddie. Her goal was to be able to run a 5K at a 9 minute mile pace. While I thought it would be easy at first, I realized that the only abundantly clear data sources were sleep times and mile pace during working out. When it came to other factors, such as her ability to focus, stress, etc. that were all factoring into her health goal, they were not as easy to keep track of and note progress.
- When looking at her amount of sleep the night before v. time working out during the day (for each day we would look at the correlation between these two things), there was no clear trend. Typically, one would assume that if you slept more the night before, you’d be more rested and could work out for longer during the day. This wasn’t the case for Maddie – the data was all over the place.
- Although this initial PHP was a little bit tricky and ultimately frustrating at times, it provided me with a new way of looking at health goals, a new way of considering all factors playing into how one acts, and gave me a new health goal of taking times to relax, refocus, reflect on the day so far, pray, etc. during the day!
About me – Nick Asby
Hey yall! My name is Nick Asby and I’m a third-year BME hailing from Williamsburg, VA.
If I’m not doing class and homework, I’m probably behind a drum set. Ever since I picked up snare drum in 5th grade, it’s been one of the biggest constant joys in my life. I’ve been privileged to have the opportunities to play with the Chi Alpha at UVa band as well as my own band, The Willies. I also like Mexican food. And UVa Basketball.
Later on, I really would like to teach BME (or something similar) at a University setting, so that means eventually after I graduate, I’m heading back to school for a Ph.D.
I’m taking this class because even if medical design is not the field I want to pursue later on in my life, the skills and knowledge I know I’ll pick up from this class (what does it mean to put the patient/user of a device first in design, etc.) will be beneficial to whatever I do end up studying.
BME Design 