UXUI, Service Design
6 weeks
Background
Accessible magnetic resonance imaging (AMRI) is a research project to remove tissue-sensitive imaging from the conventional hospital environment, enhancing stroke treatment by reducing the door-to-needle time.
Project Goal
This project aims to design an HMI on ambulances as part of the telemedicine system that supports AMRI service. It should support communication between medical doctors sitting remotely and paramedics in the field, as well as collaboration between the paramedics and related information displays.
Process & Role
Problem Framing
As a part of a long-term research project, this project started with a broad scope and the design problem was not yet defined. A field visit to a rescue station in Finland and several expert interviews were conducted to understand the design contexts and challenges.
Current challenges:
Increased workload for time-sensitive tasks;
Communication across disciplines.
Identified two opportunity spaces
Brain scanning and diagnosis: The primary objective of this scenario is to conduct precise brain scans and provide images sufficient for a doctor to diagnose the patient remotely.
Urgent treatment and monitoring: This scenario focuses on delivering urgent treatment to the patient en route to the hospital. Real-time feedback on the patient's vital signs and related metrics allows paramedics and doctors to collaborate effectively. Given that time is a critical factor in stroke management, this scenario emphasizes the importance of time sensitivity, which we have made a key consideration in our design.
Design question: How might we design a HMI that supports accurate remote brain scanning while optimizing time management for stroke case handling?
Leading the research and prototyping
I initiated the communication between our team and project owners, together with one Industrial Designer and Software Engineer.
Summary & Closing Thoughts
As a part of a research collaboration between Aalto University Schools of Electrical Engineering and Arts, Design, and Architecture, this project proposal was featured at Milan Design Week 2024.
Design for B2B solutions
Identifying the user goal of the professionals is crucial when designing for B2B solutions. While emotional affordance is critical in consumer products, in this context, the goal is to support time management. For example, discussed during the design reviews with paramedics and managers, incorporating a "Time Onset System" on the interface was validated as helpful despite initial concerns about potential stress.
Design for extreme cases
Extreme scenarios, such as uncooperative patients or device failure due to physical strain, could be identified during shadowing and in-depth interviews. Paramedics work under pressure with devices designed to withstand harsh conditions. "We can break a laptop within a day… That's why the devices we currently use are designed as very robust," one of the paramedics said during the design critique.
