On April 21, 2013, Design that Matters Designer William Harris and Director of Product Development Elizabeth Johansen presented at the Tufts Institute for Global Leadership Symposium. Designer William Harris provided six tips to bridge the cultural divide when designing medical device for developing countries. 1. Find a Local Partner 2. Identify the Problem 3. Embrace The Culture 4. Watch and Learn 5. Synthesize Your Research 6. Engage Your Users About Tufts Institute for Global Leadership The Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University is an incubator of innovative ways to educate learners at all levels to understand and engage with difficult global issues. We develop new generations of effective and ethical leaders who are able and driven to comprehend complexity, reflect cultural and political nuance, and engage as responsible global citizens in anticipating and confronting the world's most pressing problems. Credits: William Harris, graphic design, Designer, Design that Matters

1. design that matters
I 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 MATTERS
BREAKING CULTURAL BARRIERS:
Design with Empathy

2. WHAT WE DO

3. WHO WE WORK WITH

4. HOW WE DESIGN

5. PROJECT FIREFLY
A CASE STUDY

6. OUR PROCESS
Find a Local Partner
Identify the Problem
Embrace The Culture
Watch and Learn
Synthesize Your Research
Engage Your Users

7. FIND A LOCAL PARTNER

8. FIND A LOCAL PARTNER
local partners allow you to quickly become
immersed in the local culture, and under-stand
bureaucratic hurdles faced in your
future work

9. IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM

10. Hyperbilirubinemia:
• Increased levels of bilirubin in the blood
• Associated with jaundice (yellowish skin discoloration),
poor feeding, infant lethargy
• “Bilirubin is potentially toxic to the central nervous
system. Sufficiently elevated levels of bilirubin can lead
to [...] devastating, permanent neurodevelopmental
handicaps.”

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

12. EMBRACE THE CULTURE

13. 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

14. WATCH AND LEARN

15. WATCH AND LEARN
use 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

16. WATCH AND LEARN
observational research

17. WATCH AND LEARN
observational 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

18. WATCH AND LEARN
direct research

19. WATCH AND LEARN
direct 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

20. WATCH AND LEARN
direct research

21. WATCH AND LEARN
observational vs. direct research

22. WATCH AND LEARN
observational vs. direct research
compare what users say
versus what they actually do
“We clean the bassinet everyday”

23. SYNTHESIZE YOUR
RESEARCH

24. 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

25. ENGAGE YOUR USERS

26. ENGAGE YOUR USERS
create 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

29. BIGGEST INSIGHTS
PROJECT FIREFLY

30. AESTHETIC
INSIGHT

34. HARD TO USE WRONG
INSIGHT

37. RECOMMENDED USE
ACTUAL USE

38. “Firefly is very easy to use because you don’t have to adjust the
height, anyone can use it--nurses, mothers and midwives.”
Dr. Ngo Min Chuong, Director, Nam Dihn Obstetric Hospital

39. OVERHEAD PHOTOTHERAPY
FIREFLY PHOTOTHERAPY

40. DURABLE
INSIGHT

41. “We trust Firefly! There is no need to worry!”
Dr. Nguyen Thanh Ha, NICU Director, National OBGYN Hospital,
Day one of clinical trial

43. “The staff was very curious about Firefly when we arrived. After I
threw the bassinet on the floor and it didn’t break, they asked to
use it right away.”
Will Harris, Design that Matters

44. CLINICAL TRIAL RESULTS
PROJECT FIREFLY

46. AND
2
FIREFLY BETA PROTOTYPES
*out of three beta Firefly units total manufactured in December 2011

47. 2
REFERRAL HOSPITALS
1
DISTRICT HOSPITAL

48. 108
INFANTS TREATED TO DATE*
*December 8, 2011 through January 6, 2012
&
April 26, 2012 through January 20, 2013

49. 40%
REDUCTION IN TREATMENT TIME*
* During 17 infant treatments during December 2011 Clinical Eval
at National OBGYN Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam

50. *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
+

51. “This is very suitable for Vietnam because of the psychology of
Vietnamese mothers--they want their baby beside them. It
makes for a friendly hospital environment.”
Dr. Bui Van Chan, Vice Director, Hai Duong Pediatric Hospital

52. “I like Firefly because I can lay next to my baby, and always be
with him. Before I wasn’t able to be with my baby, and worried if
he was OK.”
Nguyen Thu Tuyet, Mother, Da Nang Hospital for Women &
Children

53. THANK YOU!