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]]>Unlocking Empathy and Creativity: Understanding Human Centered Design
We are Human advocate for Human Centred Design. Our focus is on supporting the design of products to improve lives by truly understanding the user. We were invited by Imperial College London to deliver a Human Centred Design course to a group of PhD students at the Institute of Chemical Biology.
Our 4 day course combined theory, group activities and daily presentations from our Healthcare partners. The students practiced user research and human factors research methods, from empathising with individuals living with diabetes to generating human centred design solutions for an existing blood glucose meter.
Reading Time: 6 minutes
Day 1 - What is Human Centred Design?
"Human Centred Design is an approach to problem-solving, involving the human perspective in all steps of the process."
Human Centred Design approaches are used in the design of products, medical devices, software, apps, services and systems. Neglecting human-related factors in design increases the likelihood of creating a product that fails to meet genuine user needs, encounters regulatory obstacles, or conflicts with stakeholder requirements.
Students were tasked with generating user-oriented design recommendations for a Blood Glucose Meter (BGM), based on human centred research insights. To begin, they immersed themselves in extensive research on diabetes, specifically concentrating on understanding the experiences of individuals living with diabetes. They observed real stories of individuals to gain an insight into patients day-to-day life, which was used to construct meaningful User Personas.
We were then joined by guest speaker; Tiia Meuronen from Béa Fertility. Tiia shared her journey to success in designing Béa, an at-home fertility treatment alternative to IVF, providing an affordable and convenient solution.
Day 2 - Stepping into the users shoes
"Translating User Insights into User Needs."
We began day 2 by exploring Human Centred Research methods and when to use them; from Market Surveilance, Diary studies, Focus Groups, to Empathetic Testing and Usability Testing.
The research into diabetes patients was revisited to identify any pain points and potential opportunities for innovation. Together, we created an Empathy map and a User Journey Map. The Empathy map visualised learnings about a particular type of user. The User Journey map captured the positive and negative actions, experiences and feelings of the user as well as highlighting any opportunities.
The students then designed and conducted a usability test of a BGM to evaluate the usability and user experience of the BGM’s user interface including packaging, instructions, device and strips. The Usability test was role played with our team taking on the role of the patient and the students as the researchers. One student in the group moderated and the remaining members took notes while observing.
The guest speaker for Day 2 was Dr Chris Ross from Thyia. Chris shared the story about the development of Thyia’s at-home cervical screening solution, and how the convenient and safe alternative aims to encourage women to test themselves for HPV.
Day 3 - Human Factors and Usability Engineering
"There is no such thing as a 'user error', only designs that have allowed a user to make an error"
One of the most important goals in medical device development is to minimise use-related risks and ensure that users can use devices safely and effectively. It is crucial to know key requirements from the standards and notified bodies who assess if the device is safe to be released to market and receive regulatory clearance (e.g., FDA for US or UKCA for UK).
Including Human Factors Engineering in Medical Device design reduces user reliance on user manuals, the need for user training, and the risk of use error, adverse events and product recalls.
The students were asked to create a Use Related Risk Assessment for the Blood Glucose Meter. Within the assessment, they identified Hazardous Situations; conducted a Perception Cognition and Action (PCA) Analysis. They also researched known use problems with current Blood Glucose Meters and sought out opportunities for improvement to implement into their designs.
Day 3’s Guest Speaker was Stephnie Kennedy from MicroBioSensor. MicroBioSensor are a Rapid diagnostic specialists, they streamline traditional laboratory-grade microbiology and cytology, packaging it into affordable, point-of-care in vitro diagnostic devices (IVDs).
Day 4 - Creative solutions for user problems
"Even the most outrageous of ideas can lead to other lightbulb moments from other people"
Once the opportunities for solutions had been realised, it was time to get creative and design improvements to the Blood Glucose meters.
Encouraging imaginative ideas, collaborating and discouraging critical thinking are all part of the creative process. Visualising ideas through brainstorming, sketching and prototyping helps bring them to life. These ideas can then be refined until the final concept is complete.
To close the week, the designs for the Blood Glucose Meters were presented to a panel in a role-play pitch scenario. The students presented their findings from the Usability test and how this affected the solution and recommendations for the manufacturer.
The final guest speaker was Anna Ward from Muna. Muna is a FemTech start-up that offers non-invasive, natural, labour pain relief through Tens Technology and a tracking app.
We were really impressed with the solutions the students created which included:
- a personalised BG meter case,
- a BG meter strip dispenser,
- a new lancing device design,
- a BG meter App,
- an Instructions for Use (IFU) redesign.
It was an engaging and energising week and we can’t wait to return to deliver the course again next year!
How could Human Centred Design improve your product development process? Our expert team has developed a series of interactive training workshops which incorporate engaging activities to understand the benefits.
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]]>Student Placements with We are Human
Every year we invite students to apply to join us for a placement as part of their year in industry. We offer experience working with our team on client projects across Product Development, Human Factors and User Research.
We were recently joined by student Riess Fernandes as part of her year in Industry studying BSc Product Design & Technology at Loughborough University. We caught up with her to find out what she thought of her placement.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
How was your experience at We are Human?
I loved my time at We Are Human. The team and the projects I worked on were very interesting and inspiring. The team are enthusiastic about their work and eager to share what they are doing, allowing me to learn about a range of projects.
I was welcomed into the team and felt like I was one of their own for the short time I was there. This made my working experience enjoyable and motivating throughout.
What did you get involved with?
I was fortunate to work on a FemTech study. I was logically guided through the fast-paced user experience study. It was inspiring to see a different side of the design process from beginning to end.
I enjoyed listening to users’ perspectives in interviews and analysing their answers to develop critical insights about how the product could change for a better user experience.
What have been your biggest learnings?
I have learnt to logically extract key learnings from users’ opinions over a short time and working within a team to maximise our productivity for deadlines.
The study has increased my confidence in my ability and quality of work, as I enjoyed delivering feedback directly to the client.
Has your experience influenced your future working and industry choices?
Yes! In the future I am keen to work in product development for medical and healthcare products, particularly FemTech or other overlooked areas, focusing on user research and input to bridge into the design requirements, allowing real-life problems to be solved.
Would you recommend a placement at We are Human to other students?
Yes, I would 100% recommend this as a student placement.
You are highly responsible for real-life projects that allow your personal and professional skills to develop, which is great for getting a taste of the industry. You also develop a better understanding of the importance of user input in the design process at all stages, ensuring changes being made benefit the end user. Plus, you have a plentiful amount of support from the team around you, this allows you to learn from the different roles within the company. The placement sets you up to be in a good position for your final year and gauging where you want to be in the industry!
Interested in having your student placement working on products in Medical, Healthcare and FemTech as part of your year in industry? We would love to hear from you
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]]>New Designers 2023 : An insight into the future of Design.
Molly attended New Designers in London for Week 2 of the exhibition, in which new talent across graphic design, product design, illustration and digital arts, and other creative fields shared their visionary ideas.
Amongst the 3000 handpicked graduates, she was on the lookout for those that demonstrated a passion for human centred design thinking in their approach and shared We are Human’s values; Empathetic, Dynamic and Empowering.
Reading Time: 5 minutes
Wow, what an incredible showcase at New Designers this year. Huge congratulations to all those that exhibited; the talent, passion and creativity in the building was fantastic. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it around the entire exhibition as there was just so much to see! For those I did speak to, thank you for being so friendly, informative, and professional. It was a pleasure talking to you and learning about your projects.
I have spotlighted six individuals I met at New Designers who developed products in the Medical and Healthcare space, with a summary of each project and how they displayed We are Human’s values.
Empathetic
Christy Davison
Christy designed and developed ‘Sana’, a standardised nurse uniform which incorporates ventilation to assist in regulating body temperature, inspired by the experiences of nurses going through menopause who found themselves working in poorly designed uniforms and inefficient buildings. Christy and I had a great discussion about the in-depth research she conducted and her findings which revealed a need for nurse uniforms to be designed in the same way as sports/ active wear, which considers high levels of movement and perspiration on shift. I was especially impressed with the high quality of Christy’s textile prototype of the uniform and assumed she had experience with sewing. Christy had never sewn before this project and learnt this new skill during her final year to enable her to test and realise her ideas – very impressive!
Empathetic
Ellen Callaghan
Ellen presented a reliable and convenient at-home cervical screening device that removes non-attendance barriers.
Ellen demonstrated extensive research into the various user needs, and her successful design is an accumulation of lots of prototyping and testing. Ellen considered the full-service offering of the product, which included a supporting companion app and discreet packaging. It was clear that Ellen immersed herself in understanding her target users, and I was very impressed by the simulated usability testing she conducted using a cervical anatomical model.
Empowering
Jess Gardner
Jess designed and developed a reusable and portable at-home pain relief device for those doing IVF injections. The device uses Peltier cooling and vibration to decrease injection pain and guides the user through the injection process to minimise confusion and anxiety over correctly administering the dose.
Jess dived into understanding the problem space for people undergoing IVF treatment, who currently have to inject multiple times per day for weeks. Through a thorough understanding of the current problems and user needs, Jess ensured the design features addressed numerous factors to provide a better injection experience for those experiencing IVF. Jess also considered the safety and effectiveness of the design and how this product would slot seamlessly into the everyday lives of the end user and current service.
Empowering
Rikke Geelen
Rikke shared the extensive research she conducted into the issue of limited menstrual hygiene awareness in rural India, her understanding of the different stakeholders to consider and her passion for female health. It was clear that each element Rikke designed was carefully considered, and she ensured the design language was consistent throughout the entire product system, including the user manual and the product itself. It was a beautiful design that promoted the normalisation of menstruation and provided easy, step-by-step guidance for both teachers delivering the training and student learning.
Dynamic
Jacob Williams
Jacob designed and developed ‘Block-Check’, a wrong site regional nerve block prevention device with an integrated and digitised WHO surgical sign-in form; aimed to minimise clinical disruption while enforcing safety procedures. Jacob demonstrated the importance of understanding NHS staff’s user needs and the systematic considerations when introducing a new product into the NHS’s current workflow. His project had a strong focus on risk management. It was clear that risk mitigations were designed into the product to address not only existing issues that could potentially lead to patient harm but also new issues that could result from the new design. His product development involved the creation of low-fidelity prototypes to ensure usability testing could be conducted quickly and early in the design process.
Dynamic
Neve Smith
Neve created ‘Perpal’, a modular pain relief product for those that menstruate.
Neve’s design process included lots of prototyping and testing with users to ensure the handheld product addressed various user needs, such as a comfortable product to hold and use on the skin. Neve shared that she enjoyed the challenge of balancing considerations from both a manufacturing and cost perspective with the findings from her usability testing. Neve considered her final design’s feasibility, desirability, and viability and demonstrated her understanding of the importance of creating a product that satisfies various stakeholder’s needs.
I want to round off by giving kudos to everyone who exhibited at New Designers, following a busy year finishing university submissions. The final year of university can be so exhausting, so well done for presenting with so much energy. I’m excited to see next steps for all of the talented individuals. If you are a graduate and think your next step could be in Human Factors, User Research or Human Centred Design in the medical and healthcare space, we would love to hear from you at We Are Human.
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]]>Five key benefits of running a diary study
A Human Factors and User Experience approach for a diabetes wearable device
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Medical device development is experiencing more wearable innovation than ever before. GlobalData projects that the wearable technology market will increase from its value of $59bn in 2020 to $156bn by 2024. As such, it has never been more important to truly understand the end user and their experiences, to create devices that people will be happy to wear continuously every day.
Research objectives
In collaboration with PharmaSens, we set out to better understand the user experience of a wearable device to support people living with diabetes. We identified a diary study as the most effective and efficient exploratory research method to gather data for our key research questions:
- How does wearing a device like this make users feel?
- How would it impact the users day-to-day life?
- Which non-negotiables would convince users of the benefits over the burdens of wearing such a device?
- Can users access and interact with the device effectively?
Study Design
We met Participants in person on Day 1 to learn about their diabetes journey and wearable technology experience. They applied the non-functioning prototype to their body with a CE marked adhesive before continuing with their everyday life for the next three days. Participants used a Diary app to upload multi-media entries of their experiences prior to a final in-person interview on Day 4.
Five Key Learnings
The outputs were invaluable and produced rich and significant insights to feed directly into the design development. Here are the key advantages of our wearable device research from using a diary-study method:
1. We built stronger relationships with our participants
We are Human believe that users should be at the heart of every design. Getting to know our participants and their experiences over an extended period, and on their own terms allowed us to build stronger rapport and trust. Participant’s felt more comfortable sharing their personal experiences and giving insights about sensitive impacts on their daily life, which were invaluable in developing design recommendations. We noticed a significant difference in the warmth, openness, and engagement of each participant by the final interview.
2. Participants were allowed to respond at their own pace
Giving participants the power to determine how and when they respond with their diary entries and removing any pressure of being in front of a research team with cameras allowed them to be thoughtful and flexible in their responses, leading to higher quality data.
3. We gathered in-the-moment data
Typical research studies involve asking participants about experiences and events of the past. The diary method allowed participants to give specific and meaningful feedback on their wearable experience in real time relative to the current context. The research team were able to follow up on these entries to explore themes and gather deep insights.
4. The study revealed emerging long-term patterns
With wearable products designed for long-term use, it is important to understand initial reactions to the device and long-term experiences. This study allowed us to balance participant’s first impressions with their developing views as they evolved over time.
5. It was cost-effective
We used Indeemo for our study, providing ethnographic features in a social media-style interface. This made it easy for participants to upload videos and images at multiple points throughout the day. We could engage with participant’s experiences without relying on the continuous presence of a researcher.
For our client, the insight-driven data generated from the study helped to validate the team’s assumptions and identify new insights to help improve the user experience:
The data helped us generate a better understanding of our customers. It confirmed ideas and theories and identified further development priorities.
It is important to conduct such an analysis as early as possible in the development process so that the findings can influence the final product design.
– Andrea Schütz Frikart, PharmaSens
If you are interested in running a diary study or would like more information about our services at We are Human, we would love to hear from you.
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]]> WE ARE HUMAN
Following a successful two years of trading as Human Centred Research Ltd (HCR), we are proud to announce our new name and identity: We are Human
We are Human was founded on the belief that human needs should be at the heart of design. We strive to improve quality of life, health, and wellbeing through product development.
Our identity has evolved to reflect what we do as a team and business. To discover more, read our story.
We are excited about the future and look forward to sharing it with you.
Please get in touch, we would love to hear from you.
Annmarie Nicolson
Director | We are Human
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