NOVONATE
I was hired by Novonate to create a new product for their neonatal line, which I'll refer to as Product X.
As Lead Researcher, I used specific methods and processes, which allowed me to, in three months, transform a high-level idea into a high-fidelity prototype, backed by the expertise of nurses, pediatricians, parents and more.
Impact:
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Designed and manufactured 10+ PoC prototypes (CAD & 3D printing)
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Recruited and managed a cross-functional panel with +8 experts
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Introduced and established iterative design frameworks to the company’s design practice increasing PoC testing capabilities by 50%
Role - Product Research and Development, Lead Researcher, Design Facilitator
Year - 2021
Client - Novonate
Multi-step, Multi-stakeholder map: No, your internet is not unstable. Unfortunately this artifact is proprietary to Novonate. I chose to share this image here, albeit blurry, to illustrate the complexity of the process I was mapping. As a gauge, each one of the green squares represents a stakeholder within this workflow.
Testing different materials and geometries for our high-fidelity prototypes.
I always sought to include the larger group in this design process. This picture was taken during one of our brainstorming sessions.
Ideal vs Real Clinical Workflows- An initial step in my discovery process was to map the ideal and real journeys. These artifacts allowed me to 1. easily visualize a multi-step, multi-stakeholder process 2. identify key stakeholders to connect with 3. have better conversations with different experts 4. easily identify pain points for further inquiry.
Stakeholder Input - Unsurprisingly, this multi-stakeholder process involved different -- and often times competing -- priorities for Product X. In addition to professional preferences, each facility also has its own set of procedures. Designing a robust stakeholder journey map allowed me to rank and prioritize different features in order to optimize for the overall product performance.
RESEARCH PROCESS
Product X is a device to be used in NICUs (neonatal intensive care units) within the US. Below, I will dive into some of the key stages in my design process.
Other stages are represented in the diagram below for a holistic view of my research process.
Using this framework, over the course of three months I was able to transform a high-level idea into a high-fidelity prototype, backed by the expertise of nurses, pediatricians, parents and more.
RESEARCH PROCESS (CONTINUED)
Iterative Feedback Loop - talking to everyone is, unfortunately, impossible. With that, I established a design panel with representatives from key stakeholder groups to provide ongoing feedback on product concepts.
Document, Share, Repeat - a key aspect of my role as designer is to facilitate (better) conversations between true subject matter experts. Throughout this process, I organized brainstorm sessions, share-outs, prototyping workshops, etc. All of which yielded valuable documents and artifacts.
A High-level view of my research process. Despite the static representation, this was an iterative process where conversations that happened during "mapping" informed deliverables listed under "understanding".