Client: Brian Burnett, Librae Limited

Product: Librae, software for control of diabetes

The situation: Managing diabetes revolves around regulating the amount of glucose in the blood. Too high and you risk damage to small blood vessels in the long term; too low and you can feel faint and may lose consciousness. Diabetes management involves regular testing and responding to the result, which may be too late to stop the glucose level going out of control.
Librae, a spinout company from Robert Gordon University, developed complex algorithms which permitted someone with diabetes to enter events into a model and decide in advance what to eat or do in order to optimise his or her control.

Mountain Ash Consulting's role: We were asked to help identify user requirements and test the early prototypes of the software.

Implementation: After interviewing people with diabetes, parents of children with diabetes as well as nurses and diabetologists, we established a Customer Advisory Group (CAG), which was instrumental in the development process. These users provided the Voice of the Customer, validating the requirements and specifying the features and functionality which would help them gain better control.

Once early prototypes were available, the advisory group were trained in its use. We held regular meetings over the country to offer assistance and to gather feedback. A video was made of some of the users and they were encouraged to talk aloud of their experience as they tried out new options.

Results: All this information was reviewed and analysed, then decisions taken as to how the needs of the customer could be incorporated into new versions of the software model. As a result, Librae allowed people with diabetes to be proactive in preventing peaks and troughs in their blood glucose levels. It also gave them a tool to experiment with 'what if' scenarios to explore new options with no risk to themselves.

Librae went on to win Scotland's spinout company of the year in recognition of its technical innovation. CEO Brian Burnett commented, "Rowan's work with the CAG was invaluable in helping to turn our technology into a really useful product.".

Client: James Browning, Mpathy Medical Devices Limited

Product: Mpathy Mesh for Hernia Repair
www.mpathy.org

The situation: The majority of hernias are now repaired using prosthetic materials to add support to the tissue. Serious complications and recurrences are rare, but many patients still complain of pain and discomfort. Knowing that textile characteristics and variations can influence the behaviour of the mesh in vivo, Mpathy Medical Devices had developed an ultralightweight mesh for use in abdominal wall repair.

Mountain Ash Consulting's role: We were asked to investigate current practice and trends in the hernia repair market, and to identify the various textile characteristics and how they might affect clinical outcome. Finally, we were asked to quantify the opportunity for Mpathy Mesh in the hernia repair market.

Implementation: Our initial approach was by researching recent clinical papers and trials in this field and then by contacting the authors for further information. This was used as the input for 1-to-1 interviews and email questionnaires which validated the market situation. In-depth discussions with surgeons and textile experts allowed us to build up a database of the textile variations how they affect clinical practice.

Results: The result was a detailed report outlining the current market scenario, what the ideal mesh for hernia repair could be and how well Mpathy mesh met these requirements. We also created a value proposition for the use of mesh for open and laparoscopic repair inguinal hernia repair and also for incisional hernia repair, highlighting the various benefits for each operation.

Further development work has been carried out on Mpathy Mesh, including work on new packaging and a clinical study. Mpathy mesh was recently launched in the UK.

Client: Andrew Sijan, University of Edinburgh

Product: Novel personal alarm for the elderly

The situation: With more and more elderly people wanting to live in their own homes rather than in care, a team from the University of Edinburgh recognised the need for a smarter personal alarm. They had developed a new alarm system with 2-way voice communication, speech recognition and speech synthesis, incorporating technology to allow for unmanned call centres. Having carried out some preliminary market research, they approached Mountain Ash Consulting to trial this technology demonstrator and obtain user feedback before developing the beta version.

Mountain Ash Consulting's role: Our key aim was to demonstrate the new alarm's broad 'fit-for-purpose', to determine whether the new alarm works well in actual use conditions, and what improvements might be required.

Implementation: The approach initially involved semi-structured interviews with elderly people still living in their own homes to identify some of the issues concerning safety and welfare. This was followed up by telephone interviews to gauge a response on a wider scale. We then recruited a number of users, trained them in the use of the device and had them try it out over a period of a week with instructions to wear the alarm at certain times and initiate calls for assistance. A call logging system was set up to monitor the results of the incoming calls.

At the end of this period the results from the logging system were analysed in conjunction with the questionnaires returned by the users. Follow up interviews were held with the users to determine the 'Voice of the Customer' as input into the Quality Function Deployment matrix and ultimately providing input for the design requirements for the next version.

Results: The final report outlined the implications for the alarm system, including the required functionality for a new design, the physical properties, the Man Machine Interface requirements and the optimal communications technology to be used by Andrew's team.

"This was a proof of concept project and there were many parameters and features that we could build into a personal alarm device. It was key, therefore, to get feedback from users at the earliest opportunity, before committing to the prototype phase of work. Rowan's study was key to establishing what was important for us to focus on."

Client: Andrew Renton, Jadaar Engineering Limited

Product: Motorised perambulating full body hoist for transferring patients in hospitals and nursing homes.

The situation: As a lawyer, Andrew Renton had come across many nurses with back injuries as a result of transferring patients. Having seen the type of moving and handling devices currently available, he decided to set about designing his own. The result was the Smart Lift, which is fully motorised, avoiding much of the twisting, pushing and pulling currently required, thus protecting the carer from injury. The team built an Alpha prototype, which now needed to be tested.

Mountain Ash Consulting's role: Our first objective was to validate the market assumptions, to find out what problems the customer was currently experiencing, just how great their 'pain' was and what opportunity there was for this new design. The next objective was to validate the design of the new device - what features, attributes and performance was the customer looking for in a new device? What are the 'must haves' and what are the trade-offs? The final objective was to test the technology, to demonstrate that the technical targets covering functionality and capacity could be met in practice.

Implementation: Initially we spoke with carers in hospitals and nursing homes about their experiences with using moving and handling devices. We learned that there was indeed a need for a better method for transferring patients. As one nurse commented, "Equipment designed to prevent injury is actually causing injury to our staff". We then contacted users who were interested in trying out the new device in a controlled environment and providing in-depth feedback on functionality, requirements and gaps. The information was all collated to provide input for the next stage of the project – the design review and further development.

Results: The users were most impressed at the new design. One carer commented that "this is the future of moving and handling devices". This positive feedback gave the team the validation and impetus they needed to continue with their development. They are now working towards a launch in 2006.