MEDICAL IMAGING DEVICE
NEWSFLASH: While this page is about my design efforts and prototyping jujitsu for the CLARUS 500, the product has now been released and is taking over the high-quality fundus imaging market!
User Comments
• "The intuitive nature of it would be best analogized as one sees with an iPhone. So I think staff training will be very simple."
• "One of my techs was trained in about 3 minutes, and she was off and running. Very simple. Very easy to use."
• "When you look at the ease of data acquisition, patient comfort…this is the next revolution of digital retinal photography."
• "You've got a better patient experience."
• "I think patient access to the machine and patient interface to the machine is extremely improved over some of the other systems."
• "The intuitive nature of it would be best analogized as one sees with an iPhone. So I think staff training will be very simple."
• "One of my techs was trained in about 3 minutes, and she was off and running. Very simple. Very easy to use."
• "When you look at the ease of data acquisition, patient comfort…this is the next revolution of digital retinal photography."
• "You've got a better patient experience."
• "I think patient access to the machine and patient interface to the machine is extremely improved over some of the other systems."
See what all the excitement is about in the following promotional videos on Youtube!
The Clarus500 Ultra-widefield Fundus Camera by Carl Zeiss Meditec
Leading Optometrists on CLARUS 500
CLARUS 500 Product Video
Jay M. Haynie, OD, FAAO speaks on the Clarus500 from Carl Zeiss Meditec
OVERVIEW / CHALLENGES
I was the lead designer and usability engineer on a new imaging device that combines ease-of-use for low-skilled operators, with advanced features for doctors and experienced technicians.
The scope of the project was huge, including user testing, information architecture, visual design and extensive prototyping, to be used for user testing, product validation and sales demos.
The scope of the project was huge, including user testing, information architecture, visual design and extensive prototyping, to be used for user testing, product validation and sales demos.
The project was initially based on a common look and feel developed by a contracted digital agency. Unfortunately, that initial work completely missed the mark, leaving no room for advanced customization required by retina specialists, and wasting valuable screen real estate on ancillary information elements rather than focusing on the company’s biggest strength - high quality imaging.
The challenge for this designer was to redesign the two main sections of the system - image acquisition and analysis, from the ground up to provide a balance between ease of use and advanced customization and to put the high-quality imaging capabilities front and center.
The challenge for this designer was to redesign the two main sections of the system - image acquisition and analysis, from the ground up to provide a balance between ease of use and advanced customization and to put the high-quality imaging capabilities front and center.
FROM WORKFLOW TO VISUAL DESIGN
It’s a well-known fact that people in western cultures generally perform tasks left to right and top to bottom, so it’s amazing how many designs fail to take this basic fact into consideration in their layout.
The primacy of top-down vs. left-right task paths can be influenced heavily by visual design elements. The visual design of this screen is divided into 4 columns. This division is achieved through both alignment and color borders. This cues the user to look for information and control elements top to bottom first, then left to right.
The primacy of top-down vs. left-right task paths can be influenced heavily by visual design elements. The visual design of this screen is divided into 4 columns. This division is achieved through both alignment and color borders. This cues the user to look for information and control elements top to bottom first, then left to right.
Rapid Prototyping
Due to delays in getting a hardware prototype ready in time for the biggest conference of the year, the product manager asked if I could create a complete simulated system for him to demo at the conference. This is the kind of challenge I live for, so the answer was “Of course!”
Below are two demonstration videos showing the design and features of the prototypes. The Magic Glass feature (video 2) was especially challenging, and I told the product manager on more than one occasion that it just simply could not be achieved with Axure. But I never fully believed it myself, and one night the solution came to me. My relationship with Axure can be fraught at times, but when the positive feedback starting coming back from the conference, all was forgiven!
Below are two demonstration videos showing the design and features of the prototypes. The Magic Glass feature (video 2) was especially challenging, and I told the product manager on more than one occasion that it just simply could not be achieved with Axure. But I never fully believed it myself, and one night the solution came to me. My relationship with Axure can be fraught at times, but when the positive feedback starting coming back from the conference, all was forgiven!