Abstract
M.A.
There is a necessity for a more efficient way to manage communication and information needs within the medical community, specifically within South African private hospitals where overworked doctors and nurses have an excessive number of patients. This study describes the design of an interactive product that improves nurses' experience needs of accessing information within their hospital environment. This problem will be addressed using a Human-centered Design approach applying Hassenzahl's Three-Level Hierarchy of Needs model (2010:48). The design process applied in this study will focus on gaining an understanding of the nurses’ experiences of work and the workplace in order to design an effective, efficient and empathetic digital solution that will be meaningful and useful to the medical staff. Interaction design and human-centred design share a similar ethos that focuses on the user. However, interaction design specifically focuses on applying human-centred design principles in order to design digital products that are relevant, usable and pleasurable for the user (Steen 2011). Therefore, this study focuses on understanding what the current work experiences of nurses are and what their related motivational needs are. The study employs a research through design methodology (Zimmerman et al 2007: 493-502) to reflect on the methods, practices and rationale achieved in the process of creation of the final digital solution. Literature from both fields of medical technology and design will be thoroughly investigated in order to clarify the state of the environment and communication within the hospital and to aid the guidance of the research approach for designing the most appropriate digital solution to the established problem.