Bridging the gap between
innovation and reality
“You’re making insulin injector pens with displays that my diabetic patients can’t see, clicks they can’t hear and sensations they can’t feel”
“Asthma inhalers are still designed on the same basis they were 40 years ago – to deliver inhaled drugs to people who don’t have asthma. No wonder 60% of asthmatics can’t use them effectively to treat their disease”
“The operating theatre is full of busy people doing complex tasks using sophisticated equipment. The last thing I need is another box that distracts me by going beep while delivering confusing information I don’t need!”
“My nurses are already overloaded. Whatever you do, don’t give us another piece of kit that takes up more of their valuable time”
How do you know you're developing the right product?
With two more medical technology developments completed, it’s clear that some of the most valuable content Kestrel provides is simply to ask this very basic question.
Engineers have a tendency to focus on the tech. It’s what we know, it’s what we do, and it’s what we understand. We love new technology for its own sake and expect everyone else to love it too. People, on the other hand, can be illogical, unpredictable and difficult. As a result, many new technology developments are “technology pushes” where we come up with a new idea and ask, “This is clever. Who wants it?” This does not work!
In the real world, customers have jobs they need to do and problems they need to solve – and they often don’t care about how the tech works. In medical they don’t have time to care, and often tech is too complicated, invasive or just too distracting to be useful. They have sick people to look after. They need a solution that works for them and that they can use easily. And here’s the key – nobody is asking them, so we literally design the wrong products.
Over 50 user interviews on multiple projects, the most common thing we hear is “At last! Why has nobody thought to ask us this before?” The response is overwhelming relief that they are finally being asked, and there’s hope they can get something that will help them do their jobs. The result for us is that we now know what we need to do, and someone will probably buy what we develop. We also now have engaged and enthusiastic users who will keep us on the right path by checking to see if what we develop is something they will use.
Over the past seven years, Kestrel has developed a unique capacity to bridge the gap between clever and innovative technology and how this can provide users with products they can use. The logic is obvious. We ask them. In detail. The delivery takes patience, communication, negotiation, networking and the ability to connect technical capability with practical needs. We’re good at this, and clients keep coming back for more. If you think we can help you deliver solutions your customers will ask you for instead of rolling their eyes, then get in touch.