interviewing to iterate prototypes

the context

Based on ethnographic needs finding I performed in 2013, a design team I mentored developed a preliminary prototype to assist in the insertion of contraceptive implants. This design was specifically tailored to assist community healthcare providers in rural areas where training is limited and physicians are not available.

the goal

The goal of this study was to evaluate the original prototype to understand what original requirements were incorrect, which design features were unnecessary, and how the priorities of our stakeholders changed as a result of seeing the first version of the prototype.

the method

We chose to approach information gathering with the goal of obtaining information from as diverse a set of stakeholders as possible. We understood that the device we were developing would need to appeal to stakeholders from a wide array of levels (from patients and community healthcare workers in the field to Ministry of Health Officials and international procurement agencies).