Medical technology at Spiegel Institut
Safe use and user experience are at the core of Spiegel Institut’s activities. Our work is based on human-centered design according to ISO 9241-210:2019 and the usability of medical devices according to IEC 62366-1:2015 / AMD 1:2020.
We are a consulting and user experience company with activities across the globe. Our team of 130 employees supports our global customers from our locations in Mannheim, Stuttgart, Munich, Beijing, and Shanghai. At all times we focus on the with tailor-made systems, products, and services based on our expertise, commitment, and enthusiasm.
We support you in
Use specification
- User groups and profiles
- Identifying needs
- Tasks and goals
- Anticipated use errors
Project experience
- Context of use analysis of technical systems for ventilation, diabetes, and laboratory devices, as well as their associated apps and services
Project interests
- Defining context of use
- Use Scenarios, if applicable with risk assessment
Methods
- Interviews, observations, co-creation workshops, usability tests
Delivery
- User group profiles, personas
- Objectives, tasks, task models
- Use Scenarios, insights for product ideas, initial risk assessment
- Quantitative context of use descriptions
Risk
management
- Risk related Use Scenarios
- Regulatory support
- Risk mitigating measures
- Evaluation
Project experience
- Summative testing in the field of diabetology, safety of use, mode awareness, (un)intended use in the field of autonomous systems
Project interests
- Risk minimization for safe use
- Identifying risk related Use Scenarios
Methods
- Cognitive walk-through, observation, expert analysis
Delivery
- Risk assessment based on observations in handling and usability tests
- Deduction of risk-mitigating measures in cooperation with client
UI Specification
- User requirements
- Prioritized requirements
- Formal specifications
Project experience
- Deriving requirements from needs, prioritization based on user relevance, compiling detailed user interaction specifications in required customer format
Project interests
- User requirements for user centricity
- Strengthening the user perspective in requirements engineering
- Formal documentation of interaction and system behavior
Methods
- Determining user requirements based on user needs
and goals, e.g., through interviews - Workshops on prioritizing requirements
Delivery
- User-centered, prioritized user requirements
- Prioritized stakeholder requirements
- Formal interaction specifications in required customer format
UI Design
- Use scenarios, storyboards
- Structural and interaction concepts
- Prototypes
Project experience
- Text prototypes and low- and high-fidelity prototypes for screen-based systems
Project interests
- Initial ideas of structure and interaction of the system to be developed
Methods
- Interviews, forced choice analysis, card sorting
Delivery
- User-oriented structuring, naming, and prioritization
- Initial interaction concepts
- Low- and high-fidelity prototypes
Recruitment and laboratories
- Patients
- Medical staff
- Administrative staff
- Usability labs, focus group rooms
Project experience
- Recruitment of various user groups through Spiegel Institut’s panels and international partners in various fields, e.g., rheumatology, dermatology, oncology, gastroenterology, diabetology, and anesthesiology
Project interests
- Appropriate study participants
- Fully functional test rooms with/without moderation
Methods
- Recruitment through Spiegel Institut’s panels and cooperation partners
- Spiegel Institut’s in-house usability labs, adequate focus group and workshop facilities
Delivery
- Selected users, patients
- Professional medical users
- Additional stakeholders such as medical technicians, hospital administration staff
- Facilities at the “Medical Technology Cluster Mannheim”
Labs
- Usability labs
- Focus group and creative spaces with multiple possibilities for observation:
Audio and video transmission, in-picture transmission, semi-transparent mirror - Access to the Hybrid OP and the INSPIRE Living LAB as a member of the
Medical Technology Cluster
Evaluation
- Formative testing
- Summative testing
Project experience
- Summative studies as well as formative handling and usability tests in all development phases of applicators, apps, as well as small and large devices
Formative testing of concepts
Project interests
- User feedback on concept
- Identifying and assessing use errors
- Steering and controlling subsequent development steps
Methods
- Qualitative usability tests, interviews, focus groups, moderation
- Compliation of test plans and scripts
Delivery
- Concept acceptance: Strengths and weaknesses, measures to increase
overall acceptance - Optimization potential of real effectiveness
- Riskassessment and deriving risk-minimizing measures
- Decision-making support for project management to improve acceptance and concept
Summative testing of systems
Project interests
- Usability: Effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction
- User feedback and optimization potential
- Documentation for Usability Engineering Files
Methods
- Quantitative usability test, out-of-the-box test incl. manuals, quick reference guides, instructions
Delivery
- compilation of test plans and scripts
- Measurements of effectiveness and efficiency
- User feedback on acceptance and satisfaction
- Assessing risk related use scenarios
- Usability documentation client’s Usability Engineering File
Technical communication / training
- Instruction concepts
- Multi-modal instructions
- Linking evaluation and training
Project experience
- Designing manuals and editorial guides in the field of diabetology, creating and maintaining on customer-specific editorial systems for multi-modal media, usability tests of any customer media
Project interests
- Redesigning instructions and manuals
- Reduction of sheer manual size
- Review of concept
Methods
- Iterative concept development
- prototype creation
- A/B test
Delivery
- Redesign of instruction concept and manual by combination of texts
and infographics - Halfing Reducing the number of pages by half
- Measuring and comparing usability (effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction)
Designing training and information media
Relevant training content is identified at an early stage based on use scenarios, risk management, technical
documentation and sales,. This content is sorted into contextual user-centred goals and task models and compiled for multi-model channels. Most important is an early collaboration and integration of all stakeholders of training and documentation for an instruction- and cost efficient training and documentation.
Our team
Dr. Matthias Reisemann
Senior Director – R&D
“Good UX generally leads to satisfaction and brand loyalty. Good usability in medical technology saves lives – together we can tackle this challenge. In addition there is the positive user experience, the positive UX, which we will also taken care of.”
Andreas Klein
Managing Director
“Partucularly in product development it makes sense to focus as specifically as possible on user needs in order to be successful. Determining them in different areas and with a wide variety of users is always a satisfying challenge.”
Vanessa Schwarz
Director – Global Field Management
„We find the right approach to your very individual target group, look for enthusiastic participants, and ensure a smooth organization of your study. Particularly in the field of medical technology, specialists are required who know exactly what target group is needed and how we attract them as participants.”
Yuwei Jin
Senior Director – Office Shanghai
“We are entering an era of experience economy and we help our clients to create good user experience. It counts in the booming medical branch in the post-epidemic era too.”
We are partners in the medical cluster of excellence in Mannheim
Mannheim and its surrounding region is a vivid area for medical technology and biotechnology in Germany and Europe. This is supported by a unique offering of economy, range of medical and research facilities, quality of workforce for any medical technology company to place them on track towards lasting growth.
Products that are perfectly tailored to your target group?
Feel free to get in touch with us.
