Work

Comparative Usability Test of Medical Device AED

This usability research identified issues in AED (Automated External Defibrillators ) usage, informing Philips' design improvements and earning recognition from their Head of Design.
This test was sponsored by Philips as a group project.
I will only share photos and findings created by me.

My Role

In this project, I worked closely with three classmates form the University of Washington.
I led the study plan and analysis, conducted the tests and interviews, and crafted our findings and storylines to make it a great presentation
Executive
Summary
Scope
Participants
in total
Philips HeartStart Onsite AED
Avive Connect AED
Phase 1
5
/15
Participants tested
Philips First
Comparative test with Avive
5
/15
Participants tested
Avive First
Comparative test with Philips
Phase 2
5
/15
Participants tested
Philips Only
less validated data, still offering insights
Goals & Key Findings
Findings in total
Goals
How can Philips AED devices better help a layperson in stressful conditions to apply AED
Correctly & Quickly
Key Findings
STEP 1
Delays in Opening Philips’ Zipped Case Booklet Discoverability & Usability issues Lots of Info flood When Getting Started
STEP 2
Unclear Peel-off Indicator
Unclear Pads Placement
Troubleshooting Issues
Other Comparative findings
Method
& Data
Participants
Cold Contact
Cold Email + Flyers
Intercept Recruiting
Public library, Church, Community gym
Referral Sampling
Coworker, Neighbors, Friends
Phase 1
First-Time Users Aged 50+
Identified as more challenging users in Philips’ previous research.
Older adults have relatively poorer vision -> More reliant on audio instructions.
5
Participants
Philips
50-59
3
60-69
2
Phase 2
Including non-native speakers
Comparable to the hearing impaired.
Foreigners have relatively poorer English listening skills -> More reliant on visual cues.
10
Participants
Philips & Avive
50-59
3
60-69
2
50-59
2
70-79
2
80-89
1
Test Settings
Special Context
911 has been called
we indicate that the use of AED was instructed by 911, to prevent hesitations of applying AED
Background Noise
Play airport background noise, to stimulate the acoustic condition
3 Minutes Countdown
Play a 3-minute countdown video, including the ticking sound to increase participants’ stress level
Gender Discrepancy
Women’s surviving rate from cardiac arrest  is 23% lower than her male counterparts
Indicate Patient Gender
Used female pronouns for the manikin
Female Clothing
Put bra on the manikin
Test Methods
1
Pre-test
Questionnaire
5 minutes
Quant
  • Demographic
Qual
  • Prior knowledge
2
Scenario-Based
Task Completion Test
5 minutes
Quant
  • Completion time
  • Error rate
  • Trial times
Qual
  • User confusion
  • Voice/Visual Response
  • Problem resolution
3
Post-test
Interviews
30-40 minutes
Quant
  • Usability Rating
Qual
  • Instruction feedback
  • Delay reasons
  • Device comparison
  • Improvement suggestions
Data Collection & Selection
Data Documentation
Video & audio recording
Pad placement photo
Interview transcription and observation note
Data Documentation
Quantitative data: Completion time, error rate, trial times
When calculating completion time or errors, we excluded the data from the first phase involving the five participants who tested the Philips device. We kept their qualitative data for analysis.
Key Insights
Opportunities
Philips Tasks Time Distribution
Disclaimer
The following is one insight that I discovered and presented as an example of my work
Unclear Peel-off Indicator
5/10
Participants
encountered errors or experienced confusion in recognizing and peeling off the adhesive pads.
Task 2: Peel pad off the liner
Group 1
T1 Philips
T2 Philips
Group 2
T1 Philips
T2 Philips
Error
Confused
Smooth
Users won't intuitively peel pads without a prompt
Adhesive pads are not common in everyday life, so peeling them off isn't a habit/ intuition for users. Users are unsure about the exact interaction they should have with the pads, especially when they are lying in the case
Users are likely to perceive two pads as one.
People might think the pads are one piece when they stick together, as people might not check the back side, especially if they don't know there are two.
Opportunities
Improve Peel-Off Indicators with Arrows and Text Prompts
5
/10
Participants suggested enhancing the peel-off indicator by adding arrows
2
/10
Participants suggested that adding the text 'peel' would be helpful.
1
/10
Participants mentioned to add an additional step to the instruction booklet indicating that the pads need to be peeled off.
Enhance Visibility of Individual Pads
5
/10
Participants prefer separate pads(Avive)  than adhesive pads for better recognition.
4
/10
Participants suggested using labels such as '1/2' and 'A/B' to help users understand that there are two pads.
1
/10
Participants suggested using different wire color could enhance its recognizability.
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