DESIGN STUDENTS~ Introduction to project/research

[Designstudent]

  I would like to Thank everyone for there time.   Some of you have requested that we introduce our self, situation, and why we are doing this research.   First off let me tell you a lit bit about Product Design (Industrial Design).  We are students at Western Michigan University, in our senior year, doing our senior thesis project.   What we do is basically design products, systems, almost anything.   For example the I-pod, who was the one who came up with that idea, design, and user interface, well I have to tell you that was a product designer.  We take a task, find the problems, come up with great ideas, draw them out, then come up with the final product. 

So with that said we have been assigned from a large medical company to look at the kidney dialysis environment.  We are focusing on making the environment and experience better for patients.  Like something to do while dialyzing.  Making it more comforting for you and everyone involved.  We do understand the different types of dialysis, but not so much how the experience is.   We have tried and tried to actually go to clinics to do our research but, due to many privacy laws this is almost impossible.  So we can't get the feel for what it is like, what restrictions you have, what you do while there, what you dislike, what you like, really what we are looking for is problems.   Who knows one day you might go to your dialysis clinic and bam there is a whole new set-up.  You have all these great things to interact with and keep you busy, and as crazy as this might sound you actually look forward to going. 

We would love to hear your feedback, situations, problems, or anything to help us out.  We really do appreciate your time and involvement with our research.  We will be posting other questions in the forum. 

If we have left out any information that anyone wants to know then just ask.  We look forward to hearing from you all.

Tony & Alan

[goofynina]

Great introduction Guys,  Welcome to what i consider (and is) the best website regarding this matter, Why and How is this the best website you ask?  Because first of all, it was created by a patient,  someone who knows first hand what its like to be on dialysis, and his name is Epoman!!! I am sure you have read all about him already    I admire you for what you are doing and i hope something good comes out of this for everyone's sake (yours, mine and the dialysis patients)    Looking forward to hearing more from you...

[Designstudent]

i also want to note that we have done the "basic" research on dialysis, and that our focus for this project is on chronic kidney disease patients (rather than acute), using hemodialysis, in the treatment center enviroment.  but any peritoneal patients, or at home users input would be gladly appreciated as well    , hopefully you can preface your responses with those detals.

also, tony and i will be checking up on these reaponses daily, but sometimes only one of us may actually read or respond to a particular post, so just a heads up if some of our posts may have a different "tone" or verbage.  ill try to put my name at the end of the posts that are specifically read, responded by myself 

thanks,
alan

[goofynina]

Hi guys,  when i said "yours, mine and the dialysis patient" i in fact am a dialysis patient also, just on PD, just wanted to clarify that    Thanks for including us PD patients too 

[Joe Paul]

Welcome Students, glad to have you guys aboard.

[Sluff]

 

[tamara]

 

I hope we can Help You, Help Us!

[Black]

  Glad someone is interested in dialysis patients and what they do with their time.

[jedimaster]

Hey!
Welcome to our site. Where I got my training we had an internet connection, which helped me to keep my mind busy while on dialysis. There were TVs but I don't like TV. Also couple of volunteers came twice a treatment to offer coffee and cookies. That was nice. I'll bring some suggestions later on because Vlad (my machine) is beeping requesting my attention.

[Rerun]

Hey guys, welcome to the site.  If you could get the centers a liquor license that would be a good start!  I tried to get into a center to see it again after 17 years with a transplant and it was like trying to get into Cuba!  After I was a patient I could see that I should have just walked in and started talking to someone like I knew them.  No one questions that.  Then if you get caught, just play dumb.

[Designstudent]

hello everyone!
sorry for the long delay in replying.  we have been really busy,(on this project amongst other things), but we are at the end of this semester, we presented out final 'concept' to stryker medical and it went pretts well. we still have the first 6 weeks of next semester to nail down all the small details and make a model.  what we have so far are basically cubicle systems that can be customized, we also found that 'wiring' every cubicle with a pc and an lcd screen with bluetooth capability will provide alot of the entertainment needs, and are currently working on what would be the best way to navigate a computer interface with mostly one hand. we have also designed a new chair, although that came after the cubcle system so its not as far along, but i feel strongly about it.  right now we are preparing 'packets' (or booklets) of what we have done in this first semester, basically explaining the concepts and putting them all together.  these are being created on the computer so i will have a jpeg image of each page of my packet (we are doing separate packets for grading purposes), the question is what is the best way to show everyone? if i put them n a slideshow it would easily be over 10mb, so im thinking the bast way would be to upload all the pages in a zipped folder to an online filesharing source, such as rapidshare or tinypic or something.  if anyone has a reccomendation or preferred uplaoding site please let me know since i want you all to be able to see it.

ill post this update in all out posts in hopes that everyone gets brought up to speed!

thanks,
alan