Product Design

 From the corporate business world designing a globally distributed product to small locally-run companies, there are usually steps and processes in place around a general format of design thinking. Naturally, when anything is invented or originally created, there is usually a series of steps that are taken. Design Thinking is simply one plan to create an invention that will usually follow the steps to empathize for, define, ideate, prototype, and test a product, each having its respective function and importance. 

For my Product Design Project, I ended up making a blood centrifuge that runs independently from electricity and therefore could be useful in areas that aren't on an electrical grid. But before I got to making my centrifuge, I had to practice the design thinking process first. 

Blood centrifuge made entirely from 
gear ratios and independent of electricity 

First, I started with the "Empathize" step to Design Thinking. Before brainstorming about my own solutions I had to problems around the world, I researched the WAEMM organization: West African Education and Medical Mission. Interestingly enough, I already knew about the organization as a close friend and mentor of mine, Dr. Karen Asher, started the project with her husband in Sierra Leone, Africa. 

Dr. Karen Asher in Sierra Leone holding a newborn 
(Picture sourced from WAEMM.org)

Part of my purpose in researching this organization was to find out more about their cause, motivation, and drive for the work that they do, as this would be my template for the product I design. Though I knew WAEMM's involvement in Sierra Leone through Dr. Asher, I learned so much more after doing a bit of formal research. Firstly, the group doesn't just focus on medical attention and accessibility to the area, they also emphasize gender equality through increasing the representation and help of victims of female genital mutilation, and supplying affordable and renewable energy to cities that were previously not a part of any sort of electrical grid. Though I wasn't particularly aware of it at the time, recognizing these goals within WAEMM influenced my final project as my centrifuge provides blood testing to cities without the need for electricity, and it can provide better patient care through more accessible and affordable medical information. 

(Source: einfochips.com)

Interestingly enough, this is where Design Thinking sets itself apart from the other blueprints of design plans; Design Thinking incorporates and emphasizes this empathy aspect to creating a product whereas the Engineering Design process does not. 

(Source: teachenginneering.com)

Yes, one could say that the Engineering Design Process functions just fine without the empathy element. And to that, I would say that they are correct, to a degree. Would a product made by the Engineering Design Process serve a given purpose? Sure, products made by this process have and will continue to do so, perhaps even undeniably. But will a product made through Design Thinking be able to specifically help individuals affected by the issue and be sure to accomplish more goals at once? Most definitely. This is the benefit to Design Thinking; a practical tool that is suitable for the real world is made, all the while empathizing with the user. 

For the next step of the design process, I used the inspiration of WAEMM and defined a problem that they faced. I brainstormed a few different ideas and I ended up choosing to focus on "what medical resources can be more sustainably made and accessible to those in need?" While it may seem redundant to choose a focus statement for the project, this step is crucial because it is this very question that provided the foundation upon which I built the rest of my project. 

Speaking of which, the next step of my Design Thinking was to ideate; I would have to brainstorm a slew of ideas for potential products I could make that would apply to my defined issue of sustainable and accessible medical resources. In reflecting now, I see that I had some challenges during this step of my process because I found it a bit difficult to come up with unique ideas after the first few. As challenging as it was at the time, it was important for me to explore all the possible options for me to develop into a final project. From all of my ideas, I narrowed it down to a portable and self-administered blood test, a non-electronic centrifuge, and a mobile ultrasound. For the design that I would continue to develop, I ended up combining the non-electronic centrifuge and self-administered blood test with a few changes. 

Initial drawing of the 
centrifuge cartridges 

After deciding to combine these two ideas, it was time to make a prototype. Before I began, I made a sub-step for my process because I had some difficulty deciding which piece/part of my project I would make to best represent my idea. I figured that the centrifuge would utilize more of my creativity to design, considering I wasn't making it with any other sort of guide or reference, and the centrifuge cartridges could take the back burner since they're relatively self-explanatory. As I started my prototype journey, I initially drew out a design for the cartridges, planning to work backward for my design on the centrifuge. My idea was that these cartridges would be recyclable and fit onto a centrifuge that would not have any contamination with the blood and would therefore be reusable between different patients, blood samples, etc. I decided the carton portion of the centrifuge cartridge would be made out of corn-based plastic PLA: a polylactic acid plastic substitute made from fermented plant starch, usually corn. To come to this conclusion, I did some research and found that this corn-based PLA is becoming a popular alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastics that are not only harmful to the environment but also not sustainable resources. Hence, corn-based PLA is tending to two different issues. Unfortunately, as much as I tried, the vile that would come in contact with the blood would have to be made out of glass. Though not recyclable due to blood contamination, the recyclability of the carton alone already makes a significant impact on the eco-friendly aspect of my product, and perhaps the sustainability of the plasma vile will be something to modify and adjust for the future. 

Prototype centrifuge 
in action 

The next step in the prototype phase was to create the centrifuge itself. Consisting of a series of gear ratios, my first prototype was incredibly effective and spun at an impressive number of revolutions per minute. I also considered a hand-crank to be the best option for running the centrifuge, given that it would be more user-friendly to a wider range of abled versus disabled versus impaired people.  

After building my prototype, the last thing to complete was the testing phase. Before jumping into interviews, I wrote an elevator pitch and designed a flyer to hand out to those I was interviewing. (My elevator pitch can be found on page 19 of my Project Design Notebook if you're curious to take a read.) 

Engineered Health™Centrifuge flyer 

I was surprised to see such a wide variety of feedback with everything from the critique on marketing strategies for my product to asking about spare parts and/or instructions for how all the pieces fit together, should something break. In terms of the most useful feedback that I could use to realistically develop my product further, I decided that spare parts, considering different sized versions, and having physicians interpret results for patients would be the most attainable goals to achieve. Anything used enough is bound to break or need repairs so I think the idea of the spare parts was magnificent. Not to mention, I think it's reasonable to make another version of this centrifuge that's smaller and more travel-friendly so that people can take it on the go, perhaps if they're traveling to a location for an extended amount of time that doesn't have easy access to health care but the individual wants to keep an eye on their health. Finally, quite a bit of the feedback was related to the same idea that people in the US would be interested in purchasing the product, but they would also like someone to explain to them what their results mean. Thus, I think it would be worthwhile to develop a program where patients can connect with knowledgeable physicians about their test results.

With this project, I enjoyed being able to tweak my project along the way. Oddly enough, this was a satisfying process for me because it gave me the freedom to be able to edit as I improved my design without feeling like I had to design it perfectly and consider everything the first time. Even with all the elements I changed and adjusted in my process, my favorite part of the project was interviewing people and seeing what changes or additions they would make. On the other hand, I found it somewhat frustrating at times to go through the brainstorming process when I felt like I was absolutely out of ideas. Through this process, I've definitely worked on my skills with brainstorming and I think I've broadened my horizon of creativity for how I pitch ideas. 

In the future, I know I'll be grateful for working on brainstorming with this project because coming up with ideas at the drop of a hat is crucial to most design paths. Moving forward, I'll be looking into using Design Thinking as I plan inclusive activities for clubs that I hold leadership positions. I believe the integration of Design Thinking will make a difference in the way that I plan the aforementioned activities because instead of relying on my intentions to show through in the final product, Design Thinking guarantees that the users, or participators, have been thoroughly considered and empathized for. 

One of my biggest takeaways overall through this process came out of one of the interviews that I conducted for feedback on my design. When asked about the price point of my product, my interviewee responded by saying that the price should reflect the value of the information at hand. For example, whether it be patients in Sierra Leone or the US, if the information provided by the blood centrifuge is more crucial, essential, or possibly life-saving compared to information about the patient's blood pressure, then the apparatus should be pricer higher than a blood pressure cuff. That being said, if the information proves to be worth less to a patient's health than blood pressure, the device should be priced lower. 

While I completely understood what they were saying, I'm not sure I had realized until just that moment that this ideology is the very reason behind why some treatments are so expensive; it may not necessarily be that they're cost-prohibitive to make or product, though that's definitely a factor. Sometimes all it comes down to is the supply versus the demand of the product and how desperate someone must be to seriously invest their finances into their health.