Human-Centered Design of 3D Printed Occupational Therapy Tools for Rural Hospitals in Kisumu County Kenya: Applying Key Desirability Factors to the Design Process
Open Access
- Author:
- Spicher, Lucy
- Area of Honors:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- John Gershenson, Thesis Supervisor
Bo Cheng, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Human-Centered Design
Humanitarian Engineering
Social Entrepreneurship
Occupational Therapy
Product Development
Front-end Design
Design for Desirability - Abstract:
- Fewer than 50% of people in Sub-Saharan Africa have access to essential healthcare services. One of the main contributing factors is the expense and complexity of medical supply chains. Ordering products from overseas takes six times longer than local manufacturing. 50-80% of donated equipment is inoperable, and in humanitarian aid contexts, 60-80% of the organizations’ budgets are spent on logistics. 3D printing has the potential to “create a seismic shift in the way people gain access to products” sparking a “third Industrial Revolution.” Hyperlocal manufacturing paired with global networks of designers and repositories of open-source designs could offer a solution to disconnected supply chains, collapsed markets, and clusters of poverty. Small companies like Field Ready, the Glia Project, and Kijenzi have been successful in introducing 3D printed products to developing markets. One untouched market for the design and sale of 3D printed medical tools is occupational therapy. There is a market of 800 million users that may require occupational therapy tools in Sub-Saharan Africa. In four African countries, only 22.6% of need was met. Current therapy tools are expensive and there are little to no options. Assistive devices are not designed for the market and often do not fit the patients’ needs, lifestyle, socio-economic status, and culture. Up to 75% of assistive devices are abandoned. In this paper, I discuss my discovery of the niche market for 3D printed therapy tools through the design and manufacture of 3D printed, replacement stethoscope earpieces. Then, I explain how to connect with established healthcare professionals and discover new clients and new hospitals. After that, I review product discovery and present a repository of occupational therapy product needs. Next, I discuss the details of the formal survey process. To discover the top three desirability factors for product development, I interviewed six subjects with 34 Likert scale survey questions and 26 follow-up questions. From this survey, I discovered that portability, customizability, and cost are the top three factors to consider for design for desirability. In the context of Kisumu, I learned that transportation costs often inhibit patients from accessing care. Home programs are essential to the local area, and therapists are keen to get involved in the design process to offer customization and opportunity for new therapy products and tools. Using the results of the survey, I validated the desirability factors through the design of a sensory stimulation board, assisted daily living (ADL) board, and a customized infant splint. I applied the validated desirability factors to the full design process of a dynamic wrist splint and a supination / pronation device. The desirability factors were used to guide the selection of products, definition of customer needs, concept selection, and design iterations. The desirability factors ultimately led to a more efficient design process and more successful product outcome. Through Kijenzi’s market channels, these products will be tested and validated for market introduction after the release of this paper. The desirability factors (portability, customizability, and cost) can be used as future indicators of desirable product success.