Design for Professional Practice

Fleming Medical

Out of the Box Experience

Shanon Lyons

Products we were assigned:

1. Omron FlexTip Smart Digital Thermometer

2. VIB Mech Medicare MD-631 Nebuliser

Fleming medical have asked us to carry out an ‘out of the box’ research experience on a range of their products. This entails:

● First sight evaluation

● Consideration of how the product is removed from packaging

● Consideration of the documentation

● Analysis of set up instructions

● Redesign of the product

Introduction

Planning Evaluation

Know the customers; who will be buying these products?

Evaluation

Methods

Understand where these products can be bought Record our first

encounter with the product

Record the set up and use of product

Conduct interviewsSecondary research -

what is the product for?

Go into the field; find out where these

products or competitor products

can be foundUnderstand user needs and desires

Identify problems

First Encounter - Omron Flex Temp Smart Digital Thermometer

- Packaging shows where its made- Very small writing- Not much information on the outer packaging- Is it exclusive to small children?- Very little packaging- Looks intuitive to use- Information on bottom of packaging not very visible- Huge instruction pages found inside- Illustrations on how to use the thermometer - Instructions supplied in many languages (German, French, Italian,

Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian etc.)

First Encounter - VIB Mech Medicare MD-631 Nebuliser

- Removed easily from the box

- Handy carry-bag included - small and durable

- Concise instructions with pictures included

- Pages dedicated to troubleshooting

- There is no AC adapter included even though it is show in the

instruction manual

- Instruction manual in one language

- Intuitive for people without asthma

- 10.5cm not 11cm

Set up - Thermometer

The thermometer did not take very much set up

We took it out of its packaging and it was very intuitive to use; just turn it

on and use it

Set up - Nebuliser

Use of Product - Thermometer

The thermometer was very easy to use

None of the group had to read the instructions to use it; it was very

intuitive

Turn on the product and place it i.e, under the arm, in the mouth

Wait for the ‘beep’ and then read the temperature

Use of Product - Nebuliser

Field Research

Other thermometers found in pharmacies

For nebulisers; nebulisers were not displayed in the

pharmacies we visited

They are available for purchase online (medguard.ie, nebuliser.ie, amazon.com) but a prescription is required for

the medication

Interviews conducted - NebuliserFemale, 30+, no previous experience with asthma

Q1. Do you know what this is?

“Yes, it’s a nebuliser for people with asthma.”

(She put the nebuliser together easily without reading instructions)

Q2. What do you think of it?

“It’s very small. The only nebulisers I have seen before were quite large machines. It is handy, but would it be powerful enough for someone with severe asthma?”

“I don’t understand some of the words on the box.”

“The manual that comes with it is concise enough. I’m glad I wouldn’t have to read it all looking for one problem.”

“If someone is having an asthma attack would they be able to hold it by themselves?”

Interviews conducted - Nebuliser # 2Female, 40+, history of asthma in family and in children

Q.1 What do you think of the packaging?

“The packaging seemed to imply that it is for children. Unless you turn the box around you wouldn’t know.”

Q.2 Would you change anything about it?

“This nebuliser may be hard to keep a grip of when having an asthma attack, especially if you have larger than average or smaller hands and when you start to sweat. The carry case also does not seem like it would protect the product well if it were to be dropped and maybe a place to store medicine would be nice”

Q.3 What do you think of the instructions?

“Well I would read the single sheet of information straight away. After that I would probably read through the manual to find out more about the mesh vibrating technology because I have never heard of it before. Apart from that I would not really read it except for looking for how to clean it.

Q.4 Would you keep the packaging?

"I would keep the box because it has information on it. I would put the masks in zip lock bags for hygiene reasons and I feel they should not be left to gather dirt and bacteria.”

Interviews conducted - ThermometerMale, 25+, young son

Q1. What do you think of the product?

“It’s nice. It’s small enough to store any where and also to travel with.”

Q2. Would you use it?

“I’d use it on my son, yes. The flexible tip is nice and soft for small kids, even if he did get his hands on it by himself.”

Q3. When would you use it?

“I’d use it when I needed to. If I felt like my son had a temperature or if he was sick. It doesn’t light up, does it? If I were to use it at night or if my son was asleep, it’d be pretty hard to see.”

Q4. Would you change anything about it?

“It’s very intuitive to use, so I probably wouldn’t include so many instructions. But I do understand that companies are obligated to include these sometimes.”

Q5. Would you buy this product?

“Yes, I would. It’s sturdy and I’m sure I could use it on all members of my family, rather than the youngest.”

Interviews conducted - Thermometer #2Female 40+, mother of four children.

Q.1 What do you think of the packaging?

“I am not a huge fan of the packaging. I feel it is dull and would not catch my eye. I also would not have noticed the symbols at the bottom unless I picked it up at eye level.”

Q.2 Would you change anything about it?

“Apart from the packaging I feel that the thermometer is pretty straight forward. It might be hard to read the temperature in a dark room though because there is no actually light on the display. Whenever I have had to check temperature of my children when they were babies it was at night. Also I had no idea if this thermometer was for a specific place like the mouth or ear. I think that it is versatile should be labled more clearly”

Q.3 What do you think of the instructions?

“I would not read them. They are very intimidating and it feels like they were just thrown in because they had to be. They are not user friendly in the slightest.”

Q.4 Would you keep the packaging?

“No I find the cover that comes with the thermometer would be enough to protect the product from dirt.”

Secondary Research

To get a better insight into our products we did some research into what they are used for and their

functionality

This helped us understand our product more and proved helpful in our further research

Nebuliser

A machine that converts liquid medication into a fine mist by compression that can then be inhaled

A standard dose of medication takes 5-10 minutes to be inhaled

Several different types of medication can be taken through a nebuliser, including relievers and preventers

Used by people who have a severe respiratory disease

Used if someone is really struggling to breathe

Used to clear mucus from respiratory system

Thermometer

A an instrument for measuring and indicating temperature

The flexible tip proves to take young childrens temperature more easily and safely

The heat-sensitive tip is able to accurately tell the computer chip inside what the temperature is

It is used for measuring human body temperature by using it under armpit,

Used when child is suspected sick to check for a high temperature

As a general rule, a temperature of over 37.5C (99.5F) is classified as a fever.

Users Needs & Desires Nebuliser

● The need for it to dispense the medication properly

● The need for it to work in times of emergency

● The need for it to have cleaning guidelines to prevent any unwanted bacteria

● Easy to read instructions that can be easily and quickly followed

● Simple packaging that can be opened quickly.

● Basic information i.e. where it was made, how to dispose of it….

● It must be quick and easy to put together

● The need for it to have batteries in packaging in case of emergency

Users Needs & Desires Thermometer

● The need to have cleaning guidelines to prevent any unwanted bacteria

● It has to be large enough to be used around children (choking hazard)

● It must display the temperature clearly so that it can be read easily

● The battery life should be long lasting

● It must give the proper disposing guidelines.

● It must possess a cover so that it can be kept clean.

● It must have have LED lighting so that it can be used at dark times

● It should be usable by the entire family - not just kids

Identifying problems

● Would a person be able to hold it whilst having an asthma attack?

● Batteries could run out in an emergency

● There is no AC adapter included even though it is illustrated within the instruction manual

● The medication has to be at a certain level for the nebuliser to work

Nebuliser

● There is a lot of packaging that we found unnecessary and could be overwhelming

● It does not have any built in LED lights so reading temperature in dim light would be difficult

● The clear cover is also hard to see in dim light

● The device is electronic and contains a small battery - how would a user clean the thermometer?

Thermometer

Need Statements: Thermometer Observations Problems Needs

1. The product does not have any

lights

Users may not be able to read the

thermometer in dim light

Users need a way to read the thermometer in the

dark

2. The product’s cover is clear

and transparent

Users may not be able to see the

cover

Users need to see the cover properly

3. There is a lot of packaging and

instructions involved with the product

Users may become

overwhelmed and not read the instructions at

all

Users need instructions to be

presented in a clear and concise manner

Need Statements: Nebuliser Observations Problems Needs

1. The device is small must be held by the

hand to be used

It may be difficult for someone having an

asthma attack to hold

Users need a way to hold the device while in a

compromising position

2. The nebuliser comes with only 2 AA

batteries

Batteries may run out in an emergency

Users need a reliable energy source for the

nebuliser

3. Everyone interviewed,

including ourselves, thought it was for a child because of the

packaging.

Adults may browse over product

assuming it is for children

A way to advertise the product as

being for all ages

My Chosen Need Statement

Product: Omron FlexTip Thermometer

Design SpecificationMain function: Measure temperature. With my solution to the need statement the main function would be to able to read the temperature in the dark.

Stakeholder/user requirements: Users require the thermometer to tell temperature accurately and quickly. Stakeholders require the product to work and provide excellent service to their customers.

Marketing requirements: The target market appears to be towards parents and families. This means that the product should be affordable.

Human factors: As the product is to be used in the home it is important that the product is safe to use. The design has to be attractive but also function.

Legal requirements: The Health Product Regulatory Authority (previously the Irish Medicine Board) is the authority for regulation of medical devices on the Irish market. It is important to conform to any rules set by the HPR i.e., ISO13485 or CE marking.

Environmental factors: Although some medical products cannot be recycled, it is important that users are informed of how to dispose of the product properly.

Electrical requirements: The thermometer uses battery power. It has automatic on/off. The battery is also replaceable. It is important that the battery is long lasting.

Idea Generation

Initial 3 Concepts

Testing My Designs

Final Concepts