During our network event three speakers gave us a tour around ''Shaping the future with smart medical innovations''
About 70 Spark customers, partners and other relations were inspired during the fourth edition of our Mastering the Elements event on Thursday September 22th. This time we opted for a specific theme and dived completely into our focus domain Medical. Three inspiring speakers gave us a tour around Shaping the future with smart medical innovations.
The reactions from our visitors were very positive. Thanks to the contributions of Bert Garlich from ZiuZ Visual Intelligence, Armaĝan Albayrak from TU Delft and David Smitz from Kiesz and the extensive networking opportunities, the visitors returned home full of inspiration.
Learning points in medical product development
For 20 years, ZiuZ Visual Intelligence has been working on innovations in the field of image analysis. CEO Bert Garlich discussed the possibilities of image recognition software in practice in his Masterclass 'Visual intelligence in the medical world'.
The learning points in medical product development that he shared with the visitors were:
Involve (a selection of) your customers in the product development process. Sharing with them what you're getting into, will help sharpen your mind. After that you throw all the ideas into the blender and get the common sense out of it for your company.
Keep looking at the large middle group and serve specials to the extremes in your customer groups. Or make your product in such a way that you can serve the extreme groups with adjustments.
Involve a good project manager to direct the process. Techies from the design agency and your own R&D department have a blast together and come up with great ideas. But you want someone to make sure they make what you've come up with. And if you deviate from the prearranged path, you have to be aware of that, and you don't want to let it happen to you.
“I was pleasantly surprised by the interested group of participants and the smart, focused questions they asked.” said speaker Bert Garlich “I received feedback that some have gained insights to organize their innovation process differently. We had a nice discussion, and I also came up with ideas myself. A wonderful harvest for all parties!”
Human centered research & design for healthcare
In addition to the practical Masterclasses by ZiuZ and KiesZ, a more theoretical side was provided by Armaĝan Albayrak. She works as Assistant Professor Human Centered Design for Healthcare at TU Delft | Industrial Design Engineering. Armaĝan's main message was that a systems approach is crucial when designing for the medical world.
In the systems approach, you identify different elements of the system, examine their relationship, and examine the effect on health. The most important here is the role of the user; whether that is a medical professional, patient or caregiver.
At Human Centered Design (HCD) you look at the needs of people in a holistic systematic way and translate them into a design.
The design must be usable and understandable, and fulfill the functionality that you have come up with. If the interaction with the user creates value, the quality of care is improved.
More than 1000 innovative ideas for healthcare have been developed in the Medisign master's specialization. Armagan shares some of those, such as the Ambulance drone. And the OA Sense; a device that is being developed together with Spark to improve the patient journey of people with Osetoarthritis.
“I really enjoyed speaking for Spark's diverse audience,” says Armaĝan. “I often give presentations, but mainly for my peers or students. It was very nice to get the energy back in the reactions and the after-talks. My takeaways are the contacts I have made for potential collaboration with partners, that I would not have encountered otherwise”.
Visiting the dentist has never been so inspiring
With the same energy with which David Smitz, entrepreneur and dentist at Kiesz, participates in an Ironman, he is also fully committed to innovation. And the needs are high, the dentist shortage is increasing. How can we keep dental care accessible to everyone in the future? During an inspiring Masterclass, David took us to 'The dentist of the future'.
In collaboration with Spark and various external experts from other fields, a sketch of the future for dental care in 2030 was made in 2019.
This forms the starting point for various innovative developments that contribute to improving the process and the customer journey of the customers. From the virtual dental assistant Laura, 3D scan and printing technology, a new training under the name Shapeshifters, to a new vision of the building in which the Kiesz practice in Oosterhout is located.
David shared with us afterwards: "Sharing knowledge is one of the great pillars of the dentist of the future. At Mastering the elements, we have been cross-pollinated with other innovations. A new foundation has been laid for our future care!"
Reactions of participants
“After following the presentations, I got all kinds of starting points for professional design, which I will delve into further in the coming period” says Chris Sindhunata of SPITS Alkmaar.
Having attended all editions of Mastering the Elements, I knew that the bar is high at Spark. It was again inspiring with profound stories and a powerful network.” Gyongyi Czemmel, AquaSmart XL
“It was my first visit to this awesome location. It was very inspiring to meet the team of go-getters here. It took me out of the hustle and bustle of academic life for a while.” Marijke Melles, TU Delft
