From Industrial Design to Healthcare Innovation—A Comparative Study on the Role of User-Centered Design and Stanford Biodesign Process

Abstract

User-centered design (UCD) process is a comprehensive and widely accepted methodology practiced by designers across numerous areas of specializations like product design, user experience design, interaction design, web design etc. The central philosophy of this approach is to empathize with the user at various design decisions in order to fulfill user requirements. Like UCD approach, the Stanford Biodesign process is also an accepted and widely used framework specifically for health technology innovation. UCD philosophy and the Stanford Biodesign process both lay strong emphasis on deep understanding of user(s) and stakeholders as their basis for focused ideation and development. However, health technology innovation brings additional challenges and constraints in its course of design and development, which not only require to satisfy user requirements but also clinical and demographic requirements for successful healthcare implementation. This paper discloses such challenges of health technology design and development and synthesizes the requirements that need to be considered in a design methodology. Later, based on these requirements the paper compared both Stanford Biodesign process and UCD process in terms of methodological effectiveness for highly sensitive healthcare innovation. The paper also highlights issues where UCD approach fails to address some of the requirements for healthcare innovation and suggests additional contexts and stages to be considered by a UCD practitioner as an easy adaptation for healthcare design projects.