Med-Tech Innovation Design
the product receive excellent reviews from users it also resulted in commercial success for the client. It has since gone on to win a number of awards including the Design Week Award 2010 and the 2010 Consumer Product Design of the Year at the Plastics Industry Awards. Other medical devices currently in development at Smallfry include an innovative device for those living with Parkinson’s disease. Designed with the user in mind, this drug delivery system helps de-stigmatise the disease because it looks more like a consumer product than a medical device. This means that patients will be more likely to use it and keep using it.
Seven steps to innovative design To develop innovative and practical products that can become real market leaders, Smallfry utilises a seven- stage innovation process. This begins by looking at the user and the market context. Design is not all about the technology. To be innovative you have to be focused on the market and discover what the users need. Before pen is even put to sketchpad, time is spent with the client discussing the marketplace, what customer needs the new product will address, the strategy and what the brand objectives are. Once the concept for the product has been finalised, the design team will then bring it to life and throughout the development process, ensure that the design intent is maintained.
This market driven or user centred approach has
proven extremely successful for design consultancies. If device manufacturers want to enhance the compliance of their devices, they must begin the design process by looking at the user: the patient. Essentially, if the device enhances the user’s experience, fits better into the patient’s life and has less of stigma attached to it, there is a greater chance it will be used. The end result will mean happy customers and a manufacturer who has gained a competitive edge in the marketplace.
References
1.
www.who.int/chp/knowledge/publications/adherence_ full_report.pdf
2. National Data Corp. was acquired by Per-Se Technologies, which is now owned by McKesson,
www.mckesson.com.
3.
www.reuters.com/article/2007/05/02/ idUSL0112153120070502
Steve May-Russell is Chief Executive Officer of Smallfry, School Street, Wolston, Coventry CV8 3HG, UK, tel. +44 (0)24 7654 5678, e-mail:
steve@smallfry.com,
www.smallfry.com
Med-Tech TV – the home of medical technology video,
www.med-techinnovation.com/Videos/Player
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www.flexible-medical.com November/December 2011 ¦ 29
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