Title: Radical co-design for earliest design stage of complex biomedical information systems

Authors: A. Freudenthal; M.J.F. Van der Geer; P.J. Stappers; P.M.T. Pattynama

Addresses: Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Landbergstraat 15, 2628 CE Delft, The Netherlands ' Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Landbergstraat 15, 2628 CE Delft, The Netherlands; Department of Radiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, PB 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands ' Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Landbergstraat 15, 2628 CE Delft, The Netherlands ' Department of Radiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, PB 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Abstract: A study was conducted to assess how co-design methods from industrial design engineering can be used for design of complex biomedical information systems (CBIS). The aim was to identify (hidden) human factors problems, and to identify new technologies and organisational changes. Two cases were analysed and the design process was modelled. First case: design of a radiology workstation - a virtual reality system was designed which integrated work throughout the hospital and for various medical tasks besides diagnostics. Second case: design of the alarm situation at the intensive care unit - a quiet alarm system was proposed. The 'radical co-design' method follows a systems approach and resides in the earliest stage of design. Normally this stage is conducted informally in CBIS. In radical co-design, a set of design (research) techniques is used in a controlled manner. In following strict development (depending on selected technologies and organisation) practitioners, scholars, industry and policy makers should take responsibility and should collaborate to reverse the identified problems in targeted actions.

Keywords: co-design; user interface; radiology workstations; workstation design; virtual reality; intensive care units; ICUs; alarm systems; alarm system design; earliest stage of design; systems approach; problem solving; biomedical information systems; complex systems; human factors; new technologies; organisational change; design process; modelling.

DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2013.054064

Journal of Design Research, 2013 Vol.11 No.1, pp.1 - 38

Accepted: 02 Oct 2012
Published online: 28 Jun 2014 *

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