Dental photography, which is used in various stages of orthodontic treatment processes, is an overall system containing several components such as a camera and various retractors, mirrors or contrasts and other products. To provide an efficient photography procedure, usually more than one attendant -and sometimes even the patient himself-are required to take part. The relevant literature mostly focuses on equipment-based problems and their affects in the quality of final pictures; however, no prior research has been identified regarding the ergonomics and human factors aspects, as well as its emotional influences on the patients. In this paper, 12 professionals with at least two years of experience in dental photography are observed during the digital dental photography procedure, and semi-structured interviews are conducted with them. The identified shortcomings provide hints for possible areas of improvement regarding the equipment used in the process and the overall system.
Patient centred approaches are getting significance in Today's healthcare industry. While this trend influences the sector very broadly from user centred medical device designs to the provision of medical service itself, there is an increasing need of designers working in this field in an effort to enhance patient experience. As Hospitals are being one of the important components of the healthcare system, the attention on their architectural and spatial designs-from a patient centred perspective-has also increased. This paper presents the findings of a literature review study regarding hospital patient rooms from a patient-centred design perspective and discusses certain concepts in an effort to enhance patient experience in hospital spatial designs. As a result; a list of future directions on designing patient rooms are inferred with a focus on patient experience.
Blood pressure monitors are one of the most commonly used medical devices in the home environment. They are abundantly available and easily accessible in the consumer market at reasonable prices. However, it is not clear to what extent these devices comply with the needs and expectations of users with varying levels of capability. This article focuses on the usability aspect of blood pressure monitors from a universal design perspective. I present the results of a study in which three brands of blood pressure monitors were examined through a method that combines hierarchical task analysis and heuristic evaluation.
Hand sketching is one of the most important skills for design. However, many design students are not confident or competent in sketching. This paper introduces initiatives at Brunel University for improving undergraduate students' sketching skills. A range of drawing workshops were organised and their effectiveness was evaluated through students' feedback. The teaching methods and students' motivation were studied through questionnaires and focus groups. It concluded that effective methods for improving sketching skills may include a combination of: setting structured, timed tasks for daily practice; creating a relaxing peer-learning environment; incorporating sketching into each design project; and organising intensive drawing workshops to enhance learning.
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