Baby Viewer

Abstract

This report presents the result of a new design for the Baby Viewer for the company Delft Imaging Systems. The Baby Viewer is an ultrasound device that will be used in two contexts, Africa and the West. The user scenario is different for both contexts. Explore Maternal mortality is a big problem in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in rural areas. Ultrasound imaging has proven to be an effective tool to identify risks that can indicate problems during the pregnancy. (Brunette et al. 2010). However, ultrasound equipment is hardly available because of the costs and the lack of trained people who are able to examine and interpret the ultrasound scans. The Baby Viewer is an ultrasound device that responds to the needs of the developing world. By creating a low cost, portable and easy to operate ultrasound device, Delft Imaging Systems aims to contribute to the maternal health problems in developing countries in Africa. In contrast to the medical use in Africa, the Western consumer will not use the Baby Viewer as a medical device, but they will be using the Baby Viewer at home to create an extra fun factor to the pregnancy. Parents to-be love to see their unborn and the Baby Viewer will respond to this wish. The challenge of this graduation project is to create a design for the Baby Viewer that can be implemented in both user scenarios, focussed on the ergonomics and the usability of the product. Next to the goal on design level, this graduation project also has a scientific goal: to test the approach of Context Variation by Design, which is a new method to address a multi-context design project, developed by the TU Delft. Discover Research of the African context, which consists of desk research and a field trip to Ghana, and research of the Western context (the Netherlands), mainly consists of a questionnaire and literature research, gives an overview of the situation in both contexts. This research leads to the Shared Solution Space. This Shared Solution Space is an overview of the overlapping and conflicting requirements for the two contexts and gives a “richer” overview of both situations. The shared insights are used as a source for creative tension for ways forward. Create In the final design, there is chosen to create one device for both context scenarios, but with a context dependent interface. For the users in Africa, a new interface is created which helps during an examination with the Baby Viewer. The focus for the created the interface is on clear communication about how to use the Baby Viewer. Each step is explained and a step by step (swipe by swipe) routine is created. The suggestions for the physical device make it more intuitive to hold the Baby Viewer in the right position. The new colour and form give the Baby Viewer a more modern and playful, but still a medical, appearance. For the West, the Baby Viewer Diary is created. The diary is focussed on creating a nice memory of the pregnancy, making use of the ultrasound images made with the Baby Viewer.