In-Home Medication Ethnography
IN-SITU OBSERVATION | A/B PROTOTYPE TESTING
The research question: A medical device company wanted to better understand how a self-administered medication affects the lives of patients. The company also wanted to get feedback on prototypes for a new self-administration device.
The approach: I conducted in-home, in-situ sessions during which the research team observed the patient administering medication and completed several co-creation activities to brainstorm improvements to the device. This included:
Helping develop the interview guide and consulting on best practices for home visits due to my social work background
Flying to several regions of the U.S. for data collection and managing a mobile “lab” setup, including setting up recording equipment in-home
Leading a design workshop with stakeholders to whiteboard and prioritize findings
Analyzing themes and developing a detailed written report
The outcome: The client received invaluable feedback on the ecosystem surrounding self-medication, and applied these findings to improve not just the device design, but the entire administration journey, from preparing to disposing of the device. Stakeholders shared that watching patients self-administer medication helped them empathize with the end user and seek further improvements to the process.
Personally, I transformed my in-home visit recommendations into a standard of practice at my company, and remain a subject matter expert in this field, advising others on how to engage with participants in a home environment.