Using Twitter to Support StudentsÍ Design Thinking

Abstract

The goal of the short-term study abroad course “International Perspectives on Biomedical Engineering Design” is to enable students to consider sociotechnical factors in designing clinically translatable solutions. In addition, comparison of healthcare systems in Europe and the United States enables students to see the impact of culture on healthcare because people in these locations have similar medical resources. Students seek to define an actionable problem statement that summarizes the needs and insights identified through interviews with healthcare professionals. Methods recommended for formulating actionable problem statements include creating a Madlib or want ad. However, such approaches did not resonate with our student group. In this presentation, we describe our experiences using Twitter as a method for students to succinctly write actionable problem statements that spur creative problem solving. 1. Course Description The goal of the course International Perspectives on Biomedical Engineering Design at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) is to enable students to consider sociotechnical factors in designing clinically translatable solutions. Students learn human-centered design methods to understand the people for whom they are designing and to identify actionable problem statements. In 2017, the course was offered in a “Maymester” format. A Maymester is a faculty-led study abroad program in which a group of UT Austin students take a course abroad taught by a UT faculty member. Maymesters are four-week, 3-credit courses that take place from late May to mid-June. The 2017 course offering focused on the design of health information systems for supporting medical decisionmaking. Students explored the impact of culture on healthcare delivery and design of healthcare technologies through comparisons of Europe and the United States. The class was hosted at Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto. 2. Instructional Challenge In the course International Perspectives on Biomedical Engineering Design, students plan, conduct, and interpret interviews with healthcare professionals from both Europe and the United States (via videoconferencing). They plan semi-structured interviews using techniques from humancentered design and readings on topics such the development of medical expertise, types of cognitive bias, and clinical decision-support systems. Through individual reflection and class discussion of the interviews with healthcare professionals, the students identify actionable problem statements pertinent to health information technologies. The course utilizes The Bootcamp Bootleg, a design thinking toolkit provided to the community by the Stanford d.school [1]. In the define mode of Stanford’s design process, the goal is to generate an actionable problem statement, also called a Point of View, that summarizes the needs of specific users and insights identified using empathize mode methods such as interviewing for empathy. The Bootcamp Bootleg suggests several methods for formulating actionable problem statements including creating a Madlib or want ad. Unfortunately, none of the suggested methods for formulating actionable problem statements resonated with our student group in 2017. For example, after conducting interviews with two orthodontists, one from the United States and one from Greece, the students were asked to generate actionable problem statements using methods from The Bootcamp Bootleg. As shown by the examples in the left column of Figure 1, the students’ efforts typically yielded statements that were unlikely to spark enthusiasm and cultivate ideation of possible solutions.