Customer Needs

Interaction With Customers:

We identified our customers as people who need to be weighed often and who cannot use a traditional standing scale. Our customers also include the caretakers of potential users of seated weight scales. This includes nurses, healthcare providers, assisted living aids, etc.

For our interviews, we sent an e-mail to an employee of IndependenceFirst, which is a center for people with disabilities. After explaining our product, she was able to send out an e-mail to the IndependenceFirst community. Two people replied and were willing to share their opinions through a phone interview. We also contacted several nurses via e-mail. We received a reply from one nurse and we are waiting on replies from five more. We also contacted family members who would be potential customers and interviewed them over the phone. One interview was done in person with a rehabilitation engineer from the Medical Device Usability and Accessibility Lab at Marquette University.

According to the design competition guidelines our project should satisfy the needs of a hypothetical client list. We made a brief list of the disabilities of these clients and took them into consideration when developing and ranking the needs statements.

Interview Questions:

1. What is your name, profession, disability, etc?

2. How do you normally get weighed (or weigh patients)? How often? How often do you think you should be weighed?

3. What do you like/dislike about this method? (any adaptive equipment used that is helpful, etc.

4. What do you like/dislike about the equipment or method you currently use for showering and/or ‘toileting’?

5. What features would you like to see in the display? (movable vs. fixed, location, maximum amount of time for a reading, audible readout, etc.)

6. From what you have heard about our product, what is(are) the most important feature(s) you would like to see included?

7. Would you buy this product if it were more expensive than a traditional scale? If it were larger? (etc.)

8. After hearing a little about our product, are there any improvements you would like to add?

9. Do you have any additional comments?

Ranking of Needs Based on Interview Responses:

	Safety:
***	Scale is able to be used while sitting with grab bars for balancing.
!	Scale is comfortable and safe.
**	Scale has adjustable hand rails for loading and unloading users.
**	Scale is easily fixed by users.
*	The scale has nothing to step over.
*	The scale has a footrest similar to a wheelchair.
***	Scale is safely secured with grab bars and hand rails.
**	Toilet seat is raised for easier access on and off of scale.
***!	Scale is safe with no potential hazards existing.

	Sanitation:
***	The scale is sanitary.
**	The scale is easy to clean.

	Accessibility:
**	The scale has a wider platform and is easier to balance with side rails.
***	Scale is accessible to all types of patients.
***	Scale is easy to maneuver on and off of.
**	Scale is accessible at all times of the day.
*	The scale can be used as often as desired.
**	Scale has one side open for easy access.

	Cost:
***	Scale is affordable to all users.
*	Scale is more expensive then standing scale if easier to use.
	The scale is cheaper than a traditional scale.

	Display:
**	Scale has large numbers for easy reading.
**	The scale has a bright display.
**	Scale has moveable display and fast weight readout.
***	The scale is accurate.
*	The scale has the capability to perform audio readings.
**	The scale has a display that is placed in the user’s desired position.
***	The scale has a visible, fixed display.
*	The scale displays weight in 3 to 4 seconds.
*	Scale displays current weight and an average for the week.
**	Scale has a daily readout of weight measurements for the past 24 hours.

	Aesthetics:
***	Scale is small enough to fit into a normal size bathroom.
***	The scale is accessible in size.
*	The scale is easy to detach and store.
***	The scale can be used as a normal toilet seat.
*	The scale is aesthetically pleasing and durable.
*	The lid of the raised toilet seat has the ability to be closed
**	The foot rest folds for storage when scale not in use.
*	The scale system is the size of a normal sized household toilet.
*	Scale is portable.
*	There are several scales to be used for several patients.
**	Scale is adaptable to take things such as braces off.
***	The original toilet seat is replaced by scale.

Needs Based on Hypothetical Client List:

Client Name	Customer Statement	Interpret Need
Phylis is an active 77-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis who also has age-related macular degeneration and hearing loss.	Needs a scale that has loud audible and large display readings.	Scale has large display reading and audible weight reading.
	Scale should be easy to use by all.	Scale is easy to use.
Aaron is a 23-year-old man, a returning Iraq war veteran, with an arm amputation above the elbow, chronic neck pain and recurring headaches.	Scale must be easy to get on and off of.	Scale is easily accessible.
	Scale must have good support for balance.	Scale has arm rails for support.
Keisha is an 84-year-old woman who recently had a stroke, She has also experienced some memory loss after the stroke, had minor hearing loss	Scale should have a readout for users to remember there weight.	Scale has a daily readout of weight measurements for the past 24 hours.
	Scale should have large display reading.	Scale has large weight display.
Jerry is an 82-year-old man with Parkinson’s disease, he also has difficulty with urinary control.	Scale should be easy to clean.	Scale is sanitary and easy to clean.
Jamie is a 42-year-old woman with a T11 spinal cord injury. She would like to have better control of her urinary function while participating in athletic activities.	Scale should be easily accessible. Should be able to get onto and off of like any other handicap toilet seat.	Scale is easily accessible.
	Toilet seat should be raised.	Scale has a raised toilet seat.
Betty is a 65-year-old woman who has limited and asymmetrical lower extremity range of motion due to a bad hip.	Scale should be easily accessible.	Scale is easily accessible.
Violet is a 32-year-old woman of short stature who is on blood pressure medication.	Scale should be easy to get onto and off of.	Scale is easily accessible.
Paul is a 43-year-old man with diabetes. The diabetes has caused neuropathy in his hands and feet, which eventually necessitated two below-the-knee amputations, and some loss of vision.	Scale should be able to be used by patient with no legs.	Scale should be easy to use for all types of patients.
	Scale should have audible readout of weight.	Scale has audible readout of weight measurements.

Summary of Key Needs:

Scale is able to be used while sitting with grab bars for balancing.

Scale is safely secured with grab bars and hand rails.

Scale is safe with no potential hazards existing.

The scale is sanitary.

Scale is accessible to all types of patients.

Scale is easy to maneuver on and off of.

Scale is affordable to all users.

The scale is accurate.

The scale has a visible, fixed display.

Scale is small enough to fit into a normal size bathroom.

The scale is accessible in size.

The scale can be used as a normal toilet seat.