Team:Oxford/Applied Design Solution

Applied Design
Our Solution


Current Kit

Our current kit meets our criteria established from our 4E’s framework: it is effective, easy-to-use, economically viable and environmentally safe. A prototype version was designed using CAD software and 3D printed.


Figure 3: Annotated diagram of our kit


Using the kit

Figure 4: Diagnostic Procedure Flowchart

Review of our kit by healthcare professionals

We presented our prototype model to two healthcare professionals in order to re-evaluate our current kit. Recommendations gathered would be implemented into the future versions of our kit.

Mrs Sarah Dragonetti (Registered Nurse)

Findings:
  • Flat, rectangular pipette hole fits well
  • Timestrip would be a useful tool during busy periods
  • Good size and good shape - feels intuitive
  • A window would allow you to see whether the pipette was emptied, preventing someone from accidentally drawing blood back up
  • A red case would make it difficult to see the blood through the window, so white or translucent casing would be better
  • Unclear on actual device when to click together the two components
  • Unclear whether pipette should stay in kit or be taken out (and when)

Dr Ben Riley (General Practice)

Findings:
  • Kit is sealed so no worry about blood containment
  • Ideal cost should be comparable to a one-use diabetes test strip (~£3)
  • Size and shape is good for packaging and transport
  • Distinctive shape will make it easy to identify
These were very useful comments: they support some aspects of our current design, but also propose some changes which would further improve the end-user experience.

Overall recommendations:

  • Make the case transparent: prevents pipette errors but is more cost-effective than a window
  • Make the key instructions as clear as possible, and include these within the kit
  • Evaluate the cost of the device (which we have presented below)