User-centred design of a biocontroller for pharmaceutical technologists

User-centred design of a biocontroller for pharmaceutical technologists

Mulder, C.M.

van Heur, R.J.H.G. (mentor)
van der Horst, R.S. (mentor)

Industrial Design Engineering

Industrial Design

Integrated Product Design

2017-04-20

The ez-Control is a biocontroller for bioreactors of 1 to 20L. It is primarily used for lab scale operations by pharmaceutical technologists in the research to new types of medicines or vaccines. The ez-Control regulates the environmental conditions, such as pH and temperature, inside the bioreactor during fermentation. The product was introduced to the market in 2007, and has reached the end of its life cycle. A follow-up product should therefore be developed, which integrates a user-friendly design, technological trends and a new look-and-feel. The user-centred design approach was applied in the project. This approach gives extensive attention to the needs, wants and limitations of end users at each stage of the design process. Observations, interviews and co-creation sessions were for example methods applied. Observations in laboratories showed that user-friendliness cannot be achieved by designing only a biocontroller, but that the entire set-up should be designed as one system, including bioreactor and wiring. It was found that user-friendliness demands elimination of as many cables and tubes as possible. By involving the user throughout the project, an easy-to-use biocontroller was designed that eliminates every wiring. The BioFuse is a fusion of biocontroller and single-use bioreactor, both in functioning and appearance. The majority of the functionalities are positioned at the bottom of the bioreactor, in contrast to the ez-Control’s bioreactor where everything to control the fermentation process enters through the lid. For operation, the bioreactor is positioned on top of the biocontroller and locked with a twist. This twist secures the connection of nearly all functionalities, thereby eliminating almost every cable and tube. User tests with a prototype of the BioFuse lead to the conclusion that the user-centred design project has resulted in a biocontroller with significantly improved usability.

User-centred design
biocontroller
bioreactor
usability

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:5ee88989-580b-4c62-aaf2-8b9496e01268

2022-04-20

Campus only

Student theses

master thesis

(c) 2017 Mulder, C.M.