ie – Design for Wellbeing

Forskare ska stötta produktutvecklare i mikroföretag i Tanzania

Tobias Larsson — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 07:46:54 +0000

Forskare från BTH ska studera hur människor i Tanzania arbetar med design och utveckling med syftet att öka deras förmåga att designa mer framgångsrika produkter. Projektet stöttas av Vetenskapsrådet och syftar till att stödja mikroföretag i utvecklingsländer.

TAGS: andreas larssonBase of the Pyramid BoP ie microenterprises Product design Product Development PSS santosh jagtap Swedish Research Council vetenskapsrådet VR

Investigation of the Product Design Process in Informal Microenterprises in Tanzania | 2021-2022

Tobias Larsson — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 07:44:40 +0000

The products that surround us (e.g. furniture, bicycles, etc.) are outcomes of design processes. Product design is a fundamental aspect of human intelligence and creativity, attracting not only experts but also workers and self- employed without any formal design training. Although numerous people in developing countries design and manufact simple products in metalworking informal microenterprises, there is very little systematic knowledge about their design process. This project aims to fill this fundamental gap in design knowledge. The overall goal of the project is to investigate the design process in metalworking informal microenterprises, using a scientific method of ‘think-aloud protocol analysis’.

This two-year project will be carried out by four researchers — two from Sweden, one from Tanzania and one from India. In 2021, we will collect data in metalworking informal microenterprises in Tanzania, using the technique of ‘think-aloud protoc analysis’. In 2022, we will finish qualitative data analysis, will present results in one conference and submit one journal artic and will submit a joint research application to VR/Development Projects Grant. We will distribute the results in metalworkin microenterprises and other relevant stakeholders through seminars in Tanzania and India.

The project will primarily provide fundamental knowledge for models and theories of design processes, and will also help to improve design practice in microenterprises.

TAGS: andreas larssonBase of the Pyramid BoP ie microenterprises Product design Product Development PSS santosh jagtap Swedish Research Council vetenskapsrådet VR

Two wellbeing projects in Extreme PSS project course

Tobias Larsson — Thu, 14 Feb 2019 11:30:34 +0000

Students in the MSc programmes in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Management and Engineering have completed their final product-service innovation projects in the course Extreme Product-Service Innovation. The students have been working on different challenges relating to construction equipment and health care in projects that are aimed at allowing the students to use their engineering skills and tools “In Real Life” with real corporate partners, thus preparing them for their coming work life.

For this batch two teams choose to work with the Design for Wellbeing “angle” together with Blue Science Park and Region Blekinge.

Extreme Product-Service Innovation class 2018/19.

The Projects

This year’s challenges have come from Region Blekinge (formerly County Council Blekinge), Blue Science Park, Dynapac and Volvo Construction equipment. A major focus has been on how to design and enable future concepts for health care and construction respectively, given that more capabilities for digitalization are becoming available.

Blue Science Park

The focus of this project has been on increased independence and wellbeing for people who are in need of increased assistance but still not eligible for full home care initiatives. Some solutions can be attractive enough and make people’s lives better so that they want to consume the solutions (whether it’s products and/or services) privately. Based on needfinding, the students have come up with a solution called C-Connect that consists of a watch band that has sensors and a button. The sensors will monitor information regarding a person’s health status. The information that will be monitored is body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood oxygen. The button will be an emergency button, that the seniors can use to contact someone when needed. Coupled with this the students have developed an app that supports the integration with different stakeholders.

C-Connect solution.

Region Blekinge

The focus of the two Region Blekinge projects was on Mobile Teams and enabling the Care Ward to be in the patients’ homes. With this approach, the idea is both to make better use of resources and also to make care better in quality and more comfortable for the patients who should not need to go to the hospital unless it is absolutely necessary.

With the Mobile teams project created a platform that supports the mobile teams in planning and management of the activities that move out of the hospital. By streamlining multiple processes and collecting all activities under one combined platform the concept will increase both efficiency and patient’s desirability. The solution combines capabilities in logistics, data collection, and digital communication within a smart and easy to use the platform.

Mobile teams interface.

With the Care Ward at Home project, the students have devised a concept called LARM, which is a system of sensors that collect data from the user and communicate to the user via an app. The data is also sent to a monitoring center at the hospital that evaluates the results. By alleviating the patients from having to go to the hospital and instead of remaining in their homes, there is more space cleared up at the hospital for the patients who are more in emergency conditions instead.

LARM interface.

For more information see below site:

Extreme Product-Service Innovation 2018/19 completed

TAGS: blue science parkBTH christian johansson christian johansson askling course project education epsi extreme product service innovation extreme pss innovation ie Landstinget Blekinge Marco Bertoni PSS PSS EI PSS Extreme Innovation PSSEI student project techacc

Industry 4.0, Nakajima Test, Elderly healthcare: Cross-disciplinary projects in the yearly Project Course for Exchange Students.

Tobias Larsson — Mon, 15 Jan 2018 11:40:08 +0000

Two months to apply in “real life” what has been learned during the years of university education, starting from a plan to the delivery of a final solution. This was the task the international students participating in the MT1490 yearly project course. Three teams of students, have on January 10^th presented the results of multidisciplinary research and development projects run under the supervision of four teachers from PDRL: Alessandro Bertoni, Marco Bertoni, Azad Syed Chowdhery and Shafiqul Islam.

TAGS: Alessandro BertoniAzad Syed Chowdhery BTH education exchange students ie Industry 4.0 innovation Marco Bertoni Md Shafiqul Islam MT1490

User involvement in pharmaceutical packaging design -A case study

Tobias Larsson — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 11:54:34 +0000

ABSTRACT

Different levels of user involvement in product design range from understanding user needs to codesigning with users. Previous research shows older patients face difficulties to handle the medication packaging. Yet the participation of older patients in pharmaceutical packaging design is underexplored. The purpose of this study is to explore the role of older patients in the design and development of pharmaceutical packaging. Two empirical examples of one drug manufacturer and one pharmaceutical packaging supplier build one case study. The findings reveal new pharmaceutical packaging development starts with market research about patients’ populations. The packaging development is then led internally or with external partners. Later, patients test the packages concepts developed. These findings go in line with previous research about the involvement of users in industries with a high technology orientation. This study is aligned with the about limited resources in healthcare and contributes with a conceptual framework of user involvement, a useful tool for managers and developers to benchmark their design process.

TAGS: andreas larssonBTH case-study Design process ie md3s Older patients Participatory design publication