tufts symposium speaker - breaking cultural barriers: design with empathy

design that mattersI N N O V A T I O N F O R S O C I A L E N T E R P R I S E

TUFTS UNIVERSITY

APRIL 21, 2013

DESIGN THAT MATTERSBREAKING CULTURAL BARRIERS: Design with Empathy

WHAT WE DO

WHO WE WORK WITH

HOW WE DESIGN

PROJECT FIREFLY A CASE STUDY

OUR PROCESSFind a Local PartnerIdentify the ProblemEmbrace The CultureWatch and LearnSynthesize Your ResearchEngage Your Users

FIND A LOCAL PARTNER

FIND A LOCAL PARTNERlocal partners allow you to quickly become immersed in the local culture, and under-stand bureaucratic hurdles faced in your

future work

IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM

Hyperbilirubinemia:

• Increasedlevelsofbilirubinintheblood

• Associatedwithjaundice(yellowishskindiscoloration),poorfeeding,infantlethargy

• “Bilirubinispotentiallytoxictothecentralnervoussystem.Sufficientlyelevatedlevelsofbilirubincanleadto[...]devastating,permanentneurodevelopmentalhandicaps.”

From J. Maisels, “Phototherapy for Neonatal Jaundice,” NEJM 358;9, Feb08. Absorbance spectrum of biliru-bin shown as white line.

EMBRACE THE CULTURE

EMBRACE THE CULTURE

spend time with your partner organization and let them educate you about the local

lifestyle and habits.

don’t reinvent the wheel, trust your local partners experience & knowledge

WATCH AND LEARN

WATCH AND LEARNuse the two different methods of

understanding through field research, starting with observational, and moving into

getting more direct feedback.

compare what users say versus what they actually do

WATCH AND LEARNobservational research

WATCH AND LEARNobservational research

be a fly on the wall

document as much as possible (i.e. pictures, video, ect.)

watch how people interact with different objects in different situations

WATCH AND LEARNdirect research

WATCH AND LEARNdirect research

bring multi cultural interview tools (i.e. photos, multi language flash cards)

review your earlier observations and ask pointed questions based upon what you saw

WATCH AND LEARNdirect research

WATCH AND LEARNobservational vs. direct research

WATCH AND LEARNobservational vs. direct research

compare what users say versus what they actually do

“We clean the bassinet everyday”

SYNTHESIZE YOUR RESEARCH

SYNTHESIZE YOUR RESEARCH

create post-it frameworks to better organize your research

create a “point of view” statement to describe what problems you aim to solve, as well as which problems you will not address

ENGAGE YOUR USERS

ENGAGE YOUR USERScreate drawings and renderings of concepts to

show your users

bring “create your dream device” worksheets

ask your users what is most important and least important aspects in the product or service

if possible bring full size “looks like” prototypes

BIGGEST INSIGHTSPROJECTFIREFLY

AESTHETICINSIGHT

HARD TO USE WRONGINSIGHT

RECOMMENDED USE ACTUAL USE

“Fireflyisveryeasytousebecauseyoudon’thavetoadjusttheheight,anyonecanuseit--nurses,mothersandmidwives.”

Dr. Ngo Min Chuong, Director,NamDihnObstetricHospital

OVERHEAD PHOTOTHERAPY FIREFLY PHOTOTHERAPY

DURABLEINSIGHT

“WetrustFirefly!Thereisnoneedtoworry!”

Dr. Nguyen Thanh Ha, NICUDirector,NationalOBGYNHospital,Dayoneofclinicaltrial

“ThestaffwasverycuriousaboutFireflywhenwearrived.AfterIthrewthebassinetontheflooranditdidn’tbreak,theyaskedtouseitrightaway.”

Will Harris, DesignthatMatters

CLINICAL TRIAL RESULTSPROJECTFIREFLY

AND

2FIREFLY BETA PROTOTYPES

*out of three beta Firefly units total manufactured in December 2011

2REFERRAL HOSPITALS

1DISTRICT HOSPITAL

108INFANTS TREATED TO DATE*

*December 8, 2011 through January 6, 2012&

April 26, 2012 through January 20, 2013

40%REDUCTION IN TREATMENT TIME*

* During 17 infant treatments during December 2011 Clinical Evalat National OBGYN Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam

*an expensive, high-risk treatment of last resort for patients with severe jaundice, where all the newborn’s

blood is removed and replaced by donor blood

EXCHANGE TRANSFUSIONS* AVERTED BY FIREFLY

15+

“This is verysuitable forVietnambecauseof thepsychologyofVietnamese mothers--they want their baby beside them. Itmakesforafriendlyhospitalenvironment.”

Dr. Bui Van Chan, ViceDirector,HaiDuongPediatricHospital

“I likeFireflybecauseIcanlaynext tomybaby,andalwaysbewithhim.BeforeIwasn’tabletobewithmybaby,andworriedifhewasOK.”

Nguyen Thu Tuyet, Mother,DaNangHospitalforWomen&Children

THANK YOU!