Ken Soliva THUMB

Ken Soliva

Jon Butzine THUMB

Jon Butzine

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Industrial Design

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Researchers and strategists at Delve regularly survey the industries in which we practice. Besides giving us a broad view of how trends are shaping a particular sector, the data sometimes raises intriguing questions that challenge our preconceptions about the space. 
Recently, while reviewing the early data from our latest survey of MedTech industry leaders, three unexpected findings caught our eye. These particular data points are peripheral to the main focus of our research, but we feel they raise questions that might be worth exploring further.

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2023 03 03 medtech surprising INLINE1 user experience

<h2>1. Digital products are perceived as inherently more usable. </h2>
As digital technologies and data science continue to transform the medical device industry, a significant number of the MedTech leaders who participated in our survey say that the industry trend towards digital has improved the usability of medical devices. In fact, when asked to identify the most important outcome of this new generation of medical devices, many respondents named improved usability. 

But are digital products inherently more usable? We’re not so sure.&nbsp;
We’ve written before about the <a href="https://www.delve.com/insights/a-better-way-to-develop-a-medical-device-with-digital-and-physical-elements" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">process failure</a> in which the digital experience is prioritized over the physical experience in the development of digital/physical medical devices. This can happen because a company, in its desire to be perceived as more innovative, prioritizes adding a touchscreen to their device, assuming that this feature will automatically improve user experience. 


Of course, it's not that simple. Digital can improve usability—but it’s certainly not a given. 

A better take: Better digital solutions improve usability. The million-dollar question is: How do we get to “better”?

2023 02 28 consumerization of healthcare HERO

<ul><li><a href="https://www.delve.com/insights/how-the-consumerization-of-healthcare-is-transforming-medical-device-design" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">How the Consumerization of Healthcare is Transforming Medical Device Design</a></li><li><a href="https://www.delve.com/insights/a-better-way-to-develop-a-medical-device-with-digital-and-physical-elements" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">A Better Way to Develop a Medical Device with Digital and Physical Elements</a></li><li><a href="https://www.delve.com/insights/5ds-of-iot" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Using the 5Ds of IoT for Medical Devices</a> </li></ul>

2023 03 03 medtech surprising INLINE2 human centered design

<h2>2. Practitioners of Human Centered Design are struggling to identify user needs. </h2>
This finding struck us as particularly counterintuitive. 
Human-Centered Design is an approach to innovation and problem-solving that centers real users and their needs throughout the development process. And yet, practitioners of HCD who responded to our survey told us that among their biggest challenges in digital medical development was...identifying customer needs. 
Why the disconnect? 
Our initial thought: Usability is a critical component of medical device development, and at Delve, HCD is our favorite approach to achieving usability—but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. 
In fact, it’s hard. (Losing direct access to clinicians during the pandemic made it even harder.) 
And, as with many other things, knowledgeable implementation is key. HDC is not a by-the-numbers process. Implementing it well requires imagination, creativity, and empathy.

Otoscan-Glamour-Shot-1-1

<ul><li><a href="https://www.delve.com/work/cgm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dexcom G6: Painless continuous glucose monitoring</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.delve.com/work/real-immersive-system" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Real Immersive System: Virtual rehab with real results</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.delve.com/work/otoscan" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Otoscan: Immobile headset enables 3D ear scans</a></li></ul>

2023 03 03 medtech surprising INLINE3 agile-2

<h2>3. Less than half of the medical device companies we surveyed are using Agile. </h2>
We surveyed 138 MedTech leaders, 100% of whom are developing digital medical devices. 73% of the devices they have under development have embedded software or GUIs. And yet less than half of these same companies (45%) report that they are using Agile. 
Why the apparent development methodology mismatch? One guess: Although Agile is widely considered the most appropriate process for developing devices with embedded GUIs, the MedTech industry has been relatively slow to adopt it because of a common perception that Agile is less compatible with the regulatory rigor in this industry. 
Or maybe the explanation is simpler – some development teams are employing methodologies that are most familiar, rather than the ones best suited for particular projects? Depending on the project or phase of development, a different approach or combination of approaches might work best. The trick is knowing which approach to use, and when.

Learn more about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.delve.com/medical-devices" target="_blank">Delve Product Development Services for Medical Devices.</a>

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2023 03 03 medtech surprising HERO

While reviewing the early data from our ongoing research on trends in the medical device industry, three unexpected findings caught our eye.

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3 Surprising Findings from Our Latest MedTech Industry Survey

3 Surprising Findings from Our Latest MedTech Industry Survey

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