Identifying and Defining the Problem Project

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Identifying and Defining the Problem/ Project

• Michelle J. Johnson, Ph.D.
• Research Assistant Professor, Biomedical
  Engineering, Marquette University
• 9/14/2009
• Presented to Senior Design - Fall 2009

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Key Definitions (Wiki)

• Problem is a situation, condition, or issue that
  is yet unresolved.
• Problem statement is a clear concise description
  of the issues that need to be addressed by a
  problem solving team.
• Design Problem includes the project tasks and
  activities.
• Requirements are a particular product or service
  should be or do, e.g., must hold food
• Specifications are quantifiable goals for meeting
  the requirements usually in engineering terms,
  e.g., capacity of 1 ton
• Concept is an idea captured by sketch, symbol,
  mock-up, etc. that attempts to capture the
  essence of a proposed solution
• Benchmarking is the process of searching for best
  practices or competitive practices that will help
  define superior performance of a product,
  service, or support process
• Deliverables are the particular components that
  the project team will give to the customer, e.g.,
  working prototype with hardware and software

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The Design Cycle
Prognosis
Define Problem and Requirements
Diagnosis
Therapeutic Strategy
Testing
Design Specifications
Initial Evaluation
Concept Definition and Prototyping
Revisit Problem
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Play Video The Deep Dive

• CUSTOMER NBC
• DESIGN GROUP IDEO
• DESIGN REQUEST FROM NBC Redesign Supermarket
  Cart
• Take something old and familiar like the
  shopping cart and redesign it in 5 days

527 946
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IDEO SUPERMARKET CART DESIGN

• What was the problem?
• Who was the client?
• What were the problems with the current systems?
• How did they discover the real issues?
• How did they redefine the original goal?

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Strategies

• Goal What do the people who use, make and
  repair shopping cart really think
• Safety, Theft, Privacy, Security, etc.
• Find the experts
• Literature
• Engineers
• Project Advisors
• Users
• Patent Database
• Clarify and Narrow the problem as needed..

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Design Methodology
Finalize Requirements and Specifications
Analysis of User Needs
Concept selection
Concept Generation
Analysis of State of the Art
Analysis of Requirements
Brainstorming Morphology Charts
Benchmarking
HAAT Model
Development Mock-up
User trials
Model Analysis
Progettazione
Functional design
Development/test Prototype
Validation of Product
Transfer to market
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Identifying the REAL Problem
Meet Observed Need
Design

• Dissatisfaction
• Complaints
• Inefficiency
• Usability Problem
• Unknown
• Explicit Desire
• Implicit Desire
• Unresolved questions
• What ifs

Analysis of User Needs
1. What is the problem being resolved? 2. What
is the need the design intends to meet?
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StakeHolder Interview Questions

• Who are they?
• How was the problem identified? What
  circumstances lead to the identification of the
  problem?
• If the device is to be used by a person, what can
  they do physically, cognitively etc that might
  influence problem?
• What problems are they having now that justifies
  the need for the new device?
• What would they wish a device do now and why?
• Are there particular functions that are of top
  priority for the device?
• Are they using any products similar to the device
  to be designed? What are they?
• How will the person interact with the device?
• Where are they using the device?
• Can I see how you use the device?

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Human Activity Assistive Technology (HAAT) Model
as a Design Framework
What are the requirements the design is
attempting to meet?

• Human
• Potential Users and Stakeholders (e.g.,
  competencies, abilities)
• Tasks
• The desired functional tasks that the user wants
  to do but cannot do without the device
• Environment
• All context in which the Tasks will be completed
  and the device will be used
• Device
• The desired tasks that the device needs to
  complete.
• Interfaces
• Analyze how interactions need to be handled

Ref Cook and Hussey
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Road to A Concept
Summarize the details obtained by other related
design efforts which bear on the problem
Identify Impairment, Disability Handicap
Define the Requirements
Paper Sketches Concepts
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HAAT Design Framework with a Therapeutic
Rehabilitation Assistant
?
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Case Study 1 Design of a Feeding Robot Appliance

• The device will be for Spinal Cord Injury Persons

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Identifying the REAL Problem
Analysis of User Needs

• Dissatisfaction
• Complaints
• Inefficiency
• Usability Problem
• Unknown
• Explicit Desire
• Implicit Desire
• Unresolved questions
• What ifs

1. What is the problem being resolved? 2. What
is the need the design intends to meet? 3. What
do all the stakeholders desire?
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The Design Problem

• Develop a device to allow a person with limited
  to no use of their arms due to spinal cord injury
  (SCI) to feed themselves independently.

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StakeHolder Interviews Who uses these devices?

• SCI interviewee 1 get frustrated because I
  cant feed myself..
• SCI interviewee 1 like some time alone while
  I eat
• SCI interviewee 1 want to eat and drink with
  out spilling with my family
• SCI interviewee 2 I dont want to look weird
  using the device at a restaurant
• SCI interviewee 2 my current system is hard
  to use without lots of help
• SCI interviewee 3 I cannot lift my arms or
  use my hands
• SCI interviewee 3 I control my wheelchair
  with a joystick
• Assistant 1 He gets tired easily so sometimes
  I have to help him..
• Therapist 1 She can use a button to control
  something...
• Therapist 1 a lot of people use the neater
  eater now but it doesnt assist them to drink if
  they have issues pulling on a straw

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State of the Art (Benchmark) What is out there?

• Seven Commercial Feeders
• 2 Robotic Feeders (Handy 1 and MySpoon)
• 5 Arm Feeders
• Three products recently developed
• MySpoon
• The Assisitive Dining Device
• The Neater Eater (representative Arm Feeders)

MySpoon
The Neater Eater
Assistive Dining Device
1. What features do existing devices have? How do
the stack up against the requirements?
M. Johnson 2002 Report on state of art
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HAAT Model How should device, environment and
human interact?

• Human
• SCI (tetraplegia)
• Caregivers
• Clinicians
• Tasks
• Feed independently and do so with friends move
  impaired arm to drink or feed
• Environment
• Home or Restaurant
• Device
• Serve solid food Serve a liquid move food to
  mouth
• Interfaces
• Move about environment Allow to eat at home or
  in restaurant Easy to clean if something spills
  Run on standard electricity etc. allow user to
  instruct device so can drink or eat.

What are the requirements the design is
attempting to meet?
Ref Cook and Hussey
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The A More Defined Design Problem

• Develop a semi-autonomous device to allow a
  person with limited to no use of their arms due
  to spinal cord injury (SCI) to eat or drink by
  themselves independently or with minimum input
  from a caregiver/therapist at home or outside of
  home.
• The device should be usable in the home or out of
  it (e.g., restaurant), be safe for use in these
  environments, more effective than current
  commercial systems, and be cost competitive.

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Functional Requirements
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Comparison with the State of the Art
X Have 0 Not have
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Design Methodology
Finalize Requirements and Specifications
Analysis of User Needs
Concept selection
Concept Generation
Analysis of State of the Art
Analysis of Requirements
Brainstorming Morphology Charts
Benchmarking
HAAT Model
Development Mock-up
User trials
Model Analysis
Progettazione
Functional design
Development/test Prototype
Validation of Product
Transfer to market
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Idea Generation
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Resulting Concepts
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1
2
4
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G. Di Lauro, Y. Perrella et al. 2002 Concepts
of feeding devices
 
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Concept Selected
Description Robotic device that permits users to
eat and drink independently. It is possible to
command the device through a mouth
joystick. Target User Persons with Tetraplegia
(C1- C5) and Bilateral Amputees
joystick
Active End-effector
Prototype 1
Prototype 2
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Universal Design (7 Principles)

• PRINCIPLE ONE Equitable Use
• PRINCIPLE TWO Flexibility in Use
• PRINCIPLE THREE Simple and Intuitive Use
• PRINCIPLE FOUR Perceptible Information
• PRINCIPLE FIVE Tolerance for Error
• PRINCIPLE SIX Low Physical Effort
• PRINCIPLE SEVEN Size and Space for Approach and
  Use

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Questions?