• Login
    • Join
  • Subscribe Free
    • Magazine
    • eNewsletter
    Checkout
    • Magazine
    • News
    • Exclusives
    • Manufacturing
    • Markets
    • Top 10 Orthopedic Device Firms
    • Buyers' Guide
    • Events
    • More
  • Magazine
  • News
  • Exclusives
  • Manufacturing
  • Markets
  • Top 10 Orthopedic Device Firms
  • Buyers' Guide
  • Events
  • Current & Past Issues
    Features
    Departments
    Columns
    Editorial
    Digital Edition
    Subscribe Now
    Advertise Now
    Editorial Guidelines
    eNewsletter Archive
    Top Features
    From Nitinol to Nanotubes: A Materials Science Roundtable

    In Good Repair: Trauma Technologies Under Review

    Anxious Undertones: A Review of 2019

    Automated Analysis Advantages for Part Validation

    Tried and True Metalworking
    Breaking News
    Certifications
    Clinical Trials
    Device Approvals & Patents
    Financial & Deals
    International
    Market Data & Trends
    OEM News
    People
    Product & Service Releases
    Products
    Quality, Recalls & Risk
    Regulatory & Legal
    Supplier & Contract Mfg.
    Live From Shows
    Top News & Features
    Orthofix Appoints New Spine Business Leader

    Viant to Halt EtO Sterilization at Michigan Plant by End of Year

    Synaptive Medical's Modus V Expands Into Spine Market

    3D-Printed Graftless Bone Transplants Go to Clinical Trials

    CrossRoads Extremity Systems Acquires Implant Systems from Surgical Frontiers
    3-D Printing/Additive Mfg.
    Assembly & Automation
    Biocompatibility & Testing
    Clean Room
    Coatings/Surface Modification
    Contract Manufacturing
    Design
    Extrusion
    Finishing
    Forging & Casting
    Instruments, Cases & Trays
    International/Offshoring
    Laser Processing
    Materials
    Machining & Tooling
    Molding
    Packaging & Sterilization
    Prototyping
    Research & Developement
    Software & Quality
    Staffing, Training & Prof. Dev.
    Supply Chain

    3D-Printed Graftless Bone Transplants Go to Clinical Trials

    CrossRoads Extremity Systems Acquires Implant Systems from Surgical Frontiers

    Micro Spine Implant Could Restore Standing and Walking

    RTI Surgical Appoints New Division Leaders

    From Nitinol to Nanotubes: A Materials Science Roundtable
    Biologics
    Bracing/Prosthetics
    Extremities
    Imaging
    Instruments
    Large Joint
    MIS/Robotics
    Spine/Neurology
    Trauma/Sports
    Top Markets
    Molybdenum-Rhenium Biomaterial: Something ‘MoRe’?

    New Exoskeleton Shoulders Rehab Burden for Stroke Patients

    Repairing Knee Cartilage Defects with the Patient's Own Cells

    Compamed 2019 Preview Report

    Straightening Out a Spinal Device’s De Novo Pathway
    Companies
    Categories
    Company Capabilities
    White Papers
    Add New Company
    International Buyers Guide Companies
    Edge International/Supra Alloys

    Orchid Orthopedic Solutions

    Nelson Laboratories LLC

    Huron Tool & Cutter Grinding Co. Inc.

    Five Star Manufacturing Inc.
    Industry Events
    Webinars
    • Magazine
      • Current & Past Issues
      • Features
      • Editorial
      • Departments
      • Columns
      • Digital Edition
      • eNewsletter Archive
      • Editorial Guidelines
      • Subscribe Now
      • Advertise Now
    • Breaking News
    • Buyers' Guide
      • Companies
      • Categories
      • Company Capabilities
      • White Papers
      • Add Your Company
    • Manufacturing
      • 3-D Printing/Additive Mfg.
      • Assembly & Automation
      • Biocompatibility & Testing
      • Clean Room
      • Coatings/Surface Modification
      • Contract Manufacturing
      • Design
      • Extrusion
      • Finishing
      • Forging & Casting
      • Instruments, Cases & Trays
      • International/Offshoring
      • Laser Processing
      • Materials
      • Machining & Tooling
      • Molding
      • Packaging & Sterilization
      • Prototyping
      • Research & Developement
      • Software & Quality
      • Staffing, Training & Prof. Dev.
      • Supply Chain
    • Markets
      • Biologics
      • Bracing/Prosthetics
      • Extremities
      • Imaging
      • Instruments
      • Large Joint
      • MIS/Robotics
      • Spine/Neurology
      • Trauma/Sports
    • Top 10 Orthopedic Device Firms
    • Online Exclusives
    • Slideshows
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • Events
      • Industry Events
    • Live from Show Event
    • About Us
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of Use
      • Advertise With Us
    Columns

    Why and How Good Design Matters to the Bottom Line

    Why and How Good Design Matters to the Bottom Line
    Figure 1: Motion maps detail clinical interactions throughout surgery. Each color represents a clinician and color intensity charts path frequency and distance to identify workflow bottlenecks. Graphic courtesy of Metaphase Design Group.
    Why and How Good Design Matters to the Bottom Line
    Figure 2: Ascensia’s Microlet device has received seven international design awards. Image courtesy of Metaphase Design Group.
    Related CONTENT
    • FDA Issues Guidance on Brain-Computer Interfaces for Paralysis or Amputee Patients
    • Orthobiologics' Precious Balance
    • AAOS News: Mahe Medical USA Introducing Next-Generation Pulse Lavage Unit
    • Ankle Exoskeleton Fits Under Clothes for Potential Broad Adoption
    • A Return to Memphis: An ODT Forum Preview
    Bryce G. Rutter, Ph.D., Founder and CEO, Metaphase Design Group Inc.08.14.19
    There should be no confusion: good design pays dividends. Literally. Many highly successful medical products that substantively improve the delivery of healthcare also significantly increase market share and revenue. But just what is the elusive good design that delivers success on multiple levels?

    What Is Good Design?
    Good design fits like a glove. It feels right. Good designs perform the way users think, feel, and behave. Good designs are simple, unambiguous, and match physical and cognitive capabilities. They seamlessly extend the human mind and body.

    Good designs also create emotional connections with users that build a bond with the brand. Over and above perfect, flawless performance, good designs invite users to engage. Good designs never intimidate the user into paralysis. They mitigate initial fears of change and encourage the experimentation that generates user adoption.

    Good designs anchor in successful first impressions that make or break a “sale” in the user’s mind. How a product presents to the user and conveys value before the first use is the critical threshold for product success. And that moment is controlled by good design.

    What You See Is Not Always What You Get
    Looks can easily deceive in product design, especially medical products, due to their complexity and unique functional environments (e.g., surgical theaters, clinical labs, patient rooms, home health applications). In a typical medical device sales cycle, sellers and buyers sit in an office, meet between surgeries in a change room, or talk on the 9th hole of the golf course about the great new product. Clinicians may imagine using the products to envision possible results while sales reps extol the product features and benefits, point to detailed clinical studies that rarely get read, and try their level best to convey supreme confidence in the new design to engage clinician trust and trigger the buy. The less intuitive and less apparent the product design’s relationship to its use, the more the sales rep must rely on his or her ability to persuade the buyer.

    Telling a Believable Story
    Clinicians, understandably, find it difficult to provide objective evaluations of a product’s features, benefits, design detailing, and ergonomic considerations, as well as how these factors may impact performance, prior to actually using the device. Clinicians are not human factors engineers or design research experts trained to provide objective evaluations of product performance.

    Telling the product story is the most effective way to sell it to a prospective user. New products with good designs solve current problems, so the story must begin with a clear and concise identification of the unmet and/or unarticulated user needs the product addresses. An effective product story is based on facts, not fiction. It is authentic, devoid of ginned up marketing claims of faux ergonomics and performance benefits that are unmeasurable. Overpromising on features and benefits then under-delivering during usage undercuts trust in the product, severely harms the brand and product portfolio, and can kill a business overnight. The start of an authentic story begins earlier by studying end users.

    The DNA of Authenticity
    Contextual inquiry, human factors engineering, and design thinking are the primary tools to study user needs and usability, and to identify innovation opportunities. These tools allow teams to determine specific ergonomic and product performance attributes that the successful design must incorporate. Good design research not only focuses the person/product interface; it must also consider the ecosystem in which the product is used. The use environment—the variety of adjacent devices and systems used in conjunction with the product, disposables, how usability is visualized (either directly or indirectly on a display)—through to other digital footprints for monitoring, recording, and post hoc analysis all significantly impact good design (Figure 1).

    Human factors engineers and design research specialists watch and record precisely how people use a product and listen meticulously to how they say they use it. Observing and recording is essential because what people think they do and how they describe it are never the same as real behavior. Good design means going to the point of sweat to observe user behavior, taking note of all hacks, workarounds, and Post-It notes that compensate for unintuitive designs and unintelligible IFUs.

    User needs research is the holy grail of good design. Lack of understanding about where or how a product is broken means all downstream design efforts are profoundly compromised.

    Functional Aesthetics
    Too often, designers focus on aesthetics at the cost of functionality. In consumer electronics and everyday products, the balance between aesthetics and functionality is markedly different from healthcare product design. The axiom “form follows function” provides the best driver for medical product designers because no amount of cool design styling will rescue a product that is unintuitive, hard to use, or demands excessive cognitive and/or physical resources. At the end of the day, if the product doesn’t work, it fails, no matter how beautiful it is.

    Good design in medical products requires functional aesthetics where each and every detail, texture, color, surface treatment, and form factor tell a specific story to the user about the product (Figure 2). A convex surface with texture tells the user to place the fingertip here. A scalloped control surface on a handpiece collet communicates the direction of action needed to release the disposable tool tip.

    Functional aesthetics remove all ambiguity through visual and tactile design cues that explicitly convey the most effective way to interact with the product.

    Emotional Design
    Good design must also consider the culture in which the product performs. Surgical techniques and hospital protocols are steeped in tradition and memorialized in hospital procedure manuals. New products challenge these conventions and create trepidation in clinicians regarding the learning curve, impact on performance, and the potential for use errors. Further, given the pressure to monetize surgeon time, a potential change that may lengthen a procedure or increase time fidgeting with a medical device may lead to organizational pressure on that clinician.

    Designing a product is like solving a puzzle. With medical product design, it’s not uncommon to have more pieces to the puzzle (i.e., more needs) than initially expected or ultimately necessary. This abundance of needs introduces the significant challenge of prioritizing and balancing them with the cost of bringing a product to market at a price that can deliver profits.

    Overcoming emotional barriers to adoption can only be accomplished by presenting a product design story that clearly and concisely articulates the problems and challenges of the current design and how the new design eliminates them and provides a higher level of fidelity between the user and the product.

    Design Integrity
    Good design is authentic, reliable, and provides a seamless extension of human capabilities. It enhances clinical performance and is better for patients and clinicians. Good design incorporates functional aesthetics that communicate all features and benefits embedded in the design in a way that is explicit and intuitive. Good design empowers, and as a result, is sought out by clinicians because it enhances their own personal performance. But before all these benefits can be realized by users, good design projects confidence, quality, simplicity, and ease-of-use, which builds an immeasurable bond between brand and buyer. Good design has integrity that, by its very nature, translates into value for the product, the brand, and the bottom line. 


    Dr. Bryce Rutter, founder and CEO of Metaphase Design Group Inc., is a leading expert in the research, ergonomics, and design of medical products, and a worldwide specialist in hand-intensive products and packaging. His work includes collaborations with numerous global prestigious brands and high-profile startups on products ranging from robotic surgical systems, powered and manual instrument design, and drug delivery systems to disposables, mobile and wearable devices, and personal care products to IFUs, as well as usability and contextual inquiry research programs. Metaphase delivers innovative designs that redefine industry standards, invigorate sleepy brands, and create new product categories. Under Dr. Rutter’s leadership, Metaphase has received more than 120 international design excellence awards and 117 patents. Dr. Rutter holds degrees in industrial design and a Ph.D. in kinesiology, specializing in hand function. Contact him at bryce@metaphase.com.
    Related Searches
    • ceo
    • medical
    • incorporate
    • imagine
    Suggested For You
    Designing Complexity Simply Designing Complexity Simply
    Human Torso Simulator Offers Promise for New Back Brace Innovations Human Torso Simulator Offers Promise for New Back Brace Innovations
    A Prosthetic Foot for Tough Terrain A Prosthetic Foot for Tough Terrain
    FOBA Laser Marking + Engraving (Alltec GmbH) FOBA Laser Marking + Engraving (Alltec GmbH)
    Technology Revision: Changes in Implant Manufacturing Technology Revision: Changes in Implant Manufacturing
    ADAM: Innovative Project for 3D Bioprinting of Organic Bones’ Structures ADAM: Innovative Project for 3D Bioprinting of Organic Bones’ Structures
    Spine Care Technologies Inc. and Intelligent Product Solutions Form Strategic Alliance Spine Care Technologies Inc. and Intelligent Product Solutions Form Strategic Alliance
    Camber Spine Moves to New Headquarters Camber Spine Moves to New Headquarters
    7 Steps Toward a Successful Orthopedic Product Launch 7 Steps Toward a Successful Orthopedic Product Launch
    A Return to Memphis: An ODT Forum Preview A Return to Memphis: An ODT Forum Preview
    Ankle Exoskeleton Fits Under Clothes for Potential Broad Adoption Ankle Exoskeleton Fits Under Clothes for Potential Broad Adoption
    AAOS News: Mahe Medical USA Introducing Next-Generation Pulse Lavage Unit AAOS News: Mahe Medical USA Introducing Next-Generation Pulse Lavage Unit
    Orthobiologics Orthobiologics' Precious Balance
    FDA Issues Guidance on Brain-Computer Interfaces for Paralysis or Amputee Patients FDA Issues Guidance on Brain-Computer Interfaces for Paralysis or Amputee Patients

    Related Columns

    • Extremities
      Toe Fusion Alternatives Gaining a Firm Market Foothold

      Toe Fusion Alternatives Gaining a Firm Market Foothold

      Dr. Carl Hasselman, co-designer of the Arthrosurface ToeMotion Arthroplasty System, speaks about non-fusion alternatives for MTPJ osteoarthritis.
      Michael Barbella, Managing Editor 12.02.19

    • The Cluster Effect in Orthopedics: Is It Sustainable?

      The Cluster Effect in Orthopedics: Is It Sustainable?

      For a long time, we all assumed Minnesota dominated the medical device industry worldwide, but is this true for the orthopedic surgical tools industry?
      Maria Shepherd, President and Founder, Medi-Vantage 12.02.19

    • ‘If You’re Reading This, You Need to Be at This Meeting’

      ‘If You’re Reading This, You Need to Be at This Meeting’

      The AAOS/FDA/Industry Townhall is taking place March 24, 2020, at the AAOS annual meeting in Orlando.
      Dawn A. Lissy, President & Founder, Empirical 12.02.19


    • Turning the New EU MDR Into a Competitive Advantage

      Turning the New EU MDR Into a Competitive Advantage

      This column examines three new elements of the EU MDR that medical device manufacturers can leverage.
      Dan Goldstein, Associate Director, Quality Assurance, MCRA LLC 12.02.19

    • Design | Large Joint | Spine/Neurology
      Five Reasons for the Small World of Orthopedic Product Development

      Five Reasons for the Small World of Orthopedic Product Development

      Why do product development people tend to stay within the orthopedic and spine industry and not cross over into other medtech sectors?
      Victoria Trafka, BSME, MSME, President and Lead Engineer, Engineering & Quality Solutions Inc. 12.02.19

    • Impeachment, Executive Orders, and Must-Pass Congressional Legislation: A Fall Update

      Impeachment, Executive Orders, and Must-Pass Congressional Legislation: A Fall Update

      The final quarter of 2019 has begun, which means Congress and the Trump Administration are hard at work finalizing healthcare initiatives before year's end.
      Jeffrey J. Kimbell, David C. Rudloff, and Caroline P. Tucker, Jeffrey J. Kimbell & Associates Inc. 12.02.19


    • Spine/Neurology
      Pediatric Orthopedics Taken Off the Back Burner

      Pediatric Orthopedics Taken Off the Back Burner

      There are several different types of scoliosis, a condition that causes a sideways spinal curve, that affect children and adolescents.
      Sam Brusco, Associate Editor 09.17.19

    • What Are Orthopedic Surgeon Salary and Employment Statistics?

      What Are Orthopedic Surgeon Salary and Employment Statistics?

      The percent of employed physicians is greater than self-employed physicians.
      Maria Shepherd, President and Founder, Medi-Vantage 09.17.19

    • U.S. May Offer a Safe Harbor from the Impending MDR Storm

      U.S. May Offer a Safe Harbor from the Impending MDR Storm

      There are factors that make for a more inviting environment for the medical device industry in the United States.
      Dawn A. Lissy, President & Founder, Empirical 09.17.19


    • How Identifying Gaps in Clinical Data Can Ease the Transition to New Regulations

      How Identifying Gaps in Clinical Data Can Ease the Transition to New Regulations

      As of 2017, the European medical device market was estimated  at $126 billion, the second largest worldwide, comprising 27 percent of the global market. The European market trails only the United States, which accounts for roughly 43 percent of…
      Mike Goodson, Associate Director, Regulatory Affairs, MCRA LLC 09.17.19

    • Software & Quality
      Benefiting from Paperless Production Records: A Case Study

      Benefiting from Paperless Production Records: A Case Study

      EpiBone discovered how eliminating paper with digital production records can help ensure data integrity, reduce errors, and increase efficiency.
      Terrance Holbrook, Director of Product, MasterControl 09.17.19

    • Connecting the Dots in Medical Device Outsourcing

      Connecting the Dots in Medical Device Outsourcing

      San Francisco is globally renowned for many things: The Golden Gate Bridge (its color, international orange, was actually a primer used to protect the steel during transit), Ghirardelli chocolate, the TransAmerica pyramid building, and the “Pai…
      ODT Staff 08.14.19

    • What Keeps Hospital CEOs Awake at Night and How Can Medtech Help?

      What Keeps Hospital CEOs Awake at Night and How Can Medtech Help?

      With the continued surge of mergers and acquisitions, vertical integrations, and no clear U.S. policy or reform direction for our $3.6 trillion annual healthcare spend,1 the healthcare ecosystem remains in a phase of dramatic disruption. What Is K…
      Maria Shepherd, President and Founder, Medi-Vantage 08.14.19

    • Mayday: How the Upcoming MDR Implementation Forecasts Disaster for Our Industry

      Mayday: How the Upcoming MDR Implementation Forecasts Disaster for Our Industry

      I’m generally an optimistic person. My outgoing voicemail greeting encourages every caller to “keep smiling!” My wardrobe is about 40 percent “Life is Good” apparel and I keep a daily gratitude journal. Despite this s…
      Dawn A. Lissy, President & Founder, Empirical 08.14.19

    • Successful Strategies for Health Plan Medical Policy Outreach

      Successful Strategies for Health Plan Medical Policy Outreach

      Getting approval from the FDA can be a significant achievement for a company but a bigger challenge awaits for novel technologies: health payor acceptance and coverage. Adopting a novel technology does not occur easily due to complex commercial insur…
      Chelsey Jaworski and Anabel Tapia, MCRA 08.14.19


    Breaking News
    • Orthofix Appoints New Spine Business Leader
    • Viant to Halt EtO Sterilization at Michigan Plant by End of Year
    • Synaptive Medical's Modus V Expands Into Spine Market
    • 3D-Printed Graftless Bone Transplants Go to Clinical Trials
    • CrossRoads Extremity Systems Acquires Implant Systems from Surgical Frontiers
    View Breaking News >
    CURRENT ISSUE

    November/December 2019

    • From Nitinol to Nanotubes: A Materials Science Roundtable
    • In Good Repair: Trauma Technologies Under Review
    • Anxious Undertones: A Review of 2019
    • View More >
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms And Conditions
    • Contact Us

    follow us

    Subscribe
    Nutraceuticals World

    Latest Breaking News From Nutraceuticals World

    International Scientific Society Calls for Omega-3 Blood Testing in Future Research
    Pharmactive Affron Saffron May Help Relieve Depression Symptoms
    Warmer Temperatures Could Lead to Concerning Levels of Arsenic in Rice
    Coatings World

    Latest Breaking News From Coatings World

    BCF: Coatings Industry Reports Record Improvement in Waste, Recycling, Accident Rates
    BASF Doubling Automotive Refinish Coatings Production Capacity at Jiangmen, China Site
    AkzoNobel’s Wanda Vehicle Refinishes Brand Celebrates 85th Anniversary
    Medical Product Outsourcing

    Latest Breaking News From Medical Product Outsourcing

    Philips & Paige to Deliver Clinical-Grade AI Applications to Pathology Labs
    Eye Test for Parkinson's Gains Breakthrough Designation
    Biomerics Forms New Business Unit
    Contract Pharma

    Latest Breaking News From Contract Pharma

    Stevanato Group Begins Construction on TEC
    Bayer, CHOP Partner to Develop Oral NRT
    Novasep Launches oXYgene for Boosting Viral Vector Production
    Beauty Packaging

    Latest Breaking News From Beauty Packaging

    Pantone Names Classic Blue the 2020 Color of the Year
    Burst Launches Black Expanding Dental Floss
    Glossier Enters Nordstrom for the Holidays
    Happi

    Latest Breaking News From Happi

    Raining Rose Expands Exec Team
    Sozio Builds a New Facility
    Laverne Cox Is Matrix Ambassador
    Ink World

    Latest Breaking News From Ink World

    Geoff Loftus Joins EFI
    Berlin Packaging Wins 2 WorldStar Awards
    Graphic Village Expands Offerings with Canon Solutions America
    Label & Narrow Web

    Latest Breaking News From Label & Narrow Web

    Converters Expo schedules return to Green Bay, WI
    Schreiner MediPharm and PragmatIC form strategic partnership
    Herma's labelstocks receive new certification
    Nonwovens Industry

    Latest Breaking News From Nonwovens Industry

    Thrace to Relocate U.S. Capacity
    FiltXPO Speaker Line-Up Announced
    Nölken Incorporates Sustainable Wipes Packaging
    Orthopedic Design & Technology

    Latest Breaking News From Orthopedic Design & Technology

    Orthofix Appoints New Spine Business Leader
    Viant to Halt EtO Sterilization at Michigan Plant by End of Year
    Synaptive Medical's Modus V Expands Into Spine Market
    Printed Electronics Now

    Latest Breaking News From Printed Electronics Now

    Avancis, Smit Thermal, HZB, CNRS, Solliace Team for Higher Efficiencies in CIGS
    CES 2020: 'Where Tech Changes Business'
    Global Flexible Display Market Size to Increase at a CAGR of 28.1% Through 2025: GVR

    Copyright © 2019 Rodman Media. All rights reserved. Use of this constitutes acceptance of our privacy policy The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Rodman Media.