Applying design ethnography to product evaluation: A case example of a medical device in a low-resource setting
The use of design ethnography for the design of human-computer interfaces and computer supported cooperative work systems has become increasingly common both in industry and as a topic of study within the research community. However, as of yet, few studies have been performed where ethnographic techniques have been applied during the design of other products or services. Furthermore, of these studies, even fewer have provided the methodological detail necessary in order to understand how ethnographic techniques and data influenced the design or how these methods may be best implemented. This study sought to address this gap in the literature by using and methodically documenting the use of design ethnography during the design of a medical device (specifically for low-and middle-income countries). Below we detail the methodology used for data collection and analysis as well as present the findings from the ethnographic study and how it informed the revised device design. A discussion on the benefits and challenges of using ethnographic methods in this context is presented and recommendations for developing and implementing design ethnography during medical device design are given.
