Design thinking is an ideal method for encouraging innovation and uncovering user needs, making it perfect for devising solutions that meet multiple users' requirements. This methodology was chosen because its goal is to create solutions that are desirable, feasible, and viable—essential criteria for developing a minimum viable product for any company.
Contextual research involved visiting hospitals and analyzing the NICU environment to uncover core insights and identify areas of opportunity for our design.
To gain deeper insights, we conducted on-site interviews and our observations team visited Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston.
Through our interviews and hospital visit, we uncovered several key insights into unplanned extubations. Our primary insights pertained to tube movement, tube management, isolette improvement, and kangaroo care.
During the visit, nurses expressed a need for equipment that enables them to deliver high-quality patient care effectively. Their needs included an improved kangaroo care chair, NICU bed, tube technology, and taping.
To gain deeper insights, we conducted on-site interviews and our observations team visited Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston.
Through our interviews and hospital visit, we uncovered several key insights into unplanned extubations. Our primary insights pertained to tube movement, tube management, isolette improvement, and kangaroo care.
During the visit, nurses expressed a need for equipment that enables them to deliver high-quality patient care effectively. Their needs included an improved kangaroo care chair, NICU bed, tube technology, and taping.
To articulate a clear problem statement that would guide our design efforts, we employed the Point of View (POV) framework, emphasizing the specific needs of the user.
By focusing on neonates as our primary user group and synthesizing their key needs from observed challenges, we refined our understanding of why these needs are critical. This approach resulted in a problem statement that effectively addressed the neonates' needs while aligning with the nurse’s objectives.
By focusing on neonates as our primary user group and synthesizing their key needs from observed challenges, we refined our understanding of why these needs are critical. This approach resulted in a problem statement that effectively addressed the neonates' needs while aligning with the nurse’s objectives.
After our hospital visit to CHOA, we began to use our insights to inform our concept development. We sketched possible solutions for our problem statement based on the knowledge we gained from our interviews, NICU on-site visit, and secondary desk research. We brainstormed and refined multiple concepts, progressively narrowing down to the most promising solutions.
During our research phase, we conducted the first round of ideation to explore initial thoughts and concepts. This process generated diverse ideas that helped us identify key focus areas and further develop our concepts.
The first and second rounds of ideation produced various ideas and perspectives, revealing similar patterns. We decided to affinitize our sketches, grouping them to determine several directions to focus on for subsequent rounds.
The two stages of ideation yielded different design directions and ideas. The team affinitized the sketches to identify emerging patterns and similarities. The first two rounds of ideation resulted in seven groups: Technology, Adhesive, Tubes, Masks/Hats, External holders, Face Attachments, and Bed Modifications. This affinitization process enabled the team to focus more effectively during the later stages of ideation.
During our research phase, we conducted the first round of ideation to explore initial thoughts and concepts. This process generated diverse ideas that helped us identify key focus areas and further develop our concepts.
The first and second rounds of ideation produced various ideas and perspectives, revealing similar patterns. We decided to affinitize our sketches, grouping them to determine several directions to focus on for subsequent rounds.
The two stages of ideation yielded different design directions and ideas. The team affinitized the sketches to identify emerging patterns and similarities. The first two rounds of ideation resulted in seven groups: Technology, Adhesive, Tubes, Masks/Hats, External holders, Face Attachments, and Bed Modifications. This affinitization process enabled the team to focus more effectively during the later stages of ideation.
Our research and insights led to the development of a strong design solution, which was well-received by ROO's stakeholders. Although not all products could be physically prototyped, the solution met their requirements. At the project's conclusion, ROO requested and acquired the rights to our design.
This project underscored the importance of industry connections for obtaining detailed knowledge. While it would have been beneficial to prototype all products physically, time constraints limited this. In future projects, I would streamline the ideation process to ensure the timely creation of prototypes.
