Category: Projects Spring 2017

Optumal Design

Posted on by Connor

Design Brief: Optum Group

Project Description

  • To devise a way to leverage the internet of things by utilizing wearables and smart home technology to improve remote health monitoring for the caregivers. Integrated monitoring devices will also aid independent retirees in maintaining their health and safety without the need for a caregiver.
Intent/Scope

  • Time and resource constraints mean that the scope of the project will be limited to conceptualizing uses for devices or device integration within the Internet of Things.
  • The project intends to devise a concept for a system or device that will improve the efficacy of caregivers and seniors monitoring their own health
Exploration Questions

  • What from a user’s perspective is important during home caregiving?
  • When should home care prevention start?
  • What are current solutions/techniques in the home caregiver market?
  • How are current home caregiver solutions/techniques being marketed?
  • Why is there a stigma against assisted living facilities?
  • What is the average age of a person when they enter an assisted living facility?
Target Users

  • Post-Retirees (Likely 65+)
  • Aging users, who are active, but will enter the home care market
  • Users who already receive home care, but are not ready for a retirement home
Research Plan

  • Current market report on existing products with similar features and functionality
  • Form a general blueprint for the idea solution with Opium’s perspective
  • Identify challenges in technology health monitoring
  • Gather insights from professional health providers and market expertise
  • Utilize ND’s resource data base and possibly finding mentors
Expected Outcomes

  • Map out a solution with some possible imperfection
  • Forming a long term (5 years) plan that would perfect the solution
  • Possible implementation in real life scenarios with incremental changes
  • A solid yes or no on the success of the solution and its continuity
Success Metrics

  • Number of users able to remain in the home.
  • Number of users in retirement homes.
  • Age of users living at home
Project Planning

  • Go through research process, empathizing with target.
  • Brainstorm ideas to solve main issues.
  • Come up with a design for a prototype.
  • Interview potential target users for feedback on prototype.
  • Fix any issues.

Marten Program Design Brief

Posted on by John

Project Description

The Marten Program in Homiletics and Liturgics may be able to improve the homiletic skills of Catholic priests by increasing motivation to give better, more connective homilies.

Intent / Scope

The initial scope of this project will focus on providing incentives to amplify motivation among Catholic priests to improve their homiletic skills. Over time, the intent of this project is to work towards solving the Catholic Church’s problem of dwindling attendance numbers at Mass by enhancing the homiletic skills of priests, for we hope that this improvement will lead to increased attendance in Mass, enlarged engagement in the sacraments, and widespread adherence to the teachings of the Church as professed in the homilies.

Exploration Questions

This project will inform key strategic questions including:

  • How can the Marten program improve the homiletic skills of Catholic priests? How can the program work to provide incentives to motivate the priests to improve the homilies?
  • How can the Marten program make Catholic Masses more appealing to the casual Mass-goer, increasing attendance in Sunday services?
  • Are there other programs that the Marten program can learn from? If so, how can we incorporate successful attributes of these others programs into the Marten program and extend its outreach?

Target Users

The project will primarily focus on Catholic priests, but the indirect target audience will ultimately be the Catholics who are not avid Mass-goers, for we hope to increase attendance among this group by the enhanced homiletic and connecting abilities of the priests.

Research Plan

  • Interview prominent Catholic priests (both at Notre Dame and elsewhere in the country), inquiring about their sources of motivation, tactics they learned in their studies of homiletics, and their opinions on how the problem could be addressed.
  • Interview ministers outside of the Catholic Church about their opinions on how to motivate Catholic priests.
  • Interview casual Mass-goers on what they look for in attending Mass, what aspects of the service sway their decision of whether they go or not, and what they wish they heard from priests in their homilies.
  • Interview weekly (or daily) Mass-goers on what keeps them coming back to Mass and their opinions on how priests could improve their homilies.

Expected Outcomes

  • Increased motivation and homiletic skills of the Catholic priests in the program.
  • Increased enjoyment of preaching of the Catholic priests in the program.
  • Increased attendance in Mass by casual Mass-goers, improving the community and individual faith lives of those impacted by the priests in the program.

Success Metrics

  • Did we discover a compelling reason for Catholic priests to improve their homiletic skills?
  • Did we unveil ways to motivate Catholic priests to improve their preaching abilities?
  • Did we make the Mass more appealing to both avid Mass-goers and casual Mass-goers, increasing attendance in the latter?

Project Planning

A team made up of myself and the Notre Dame Design for America club will conduct the “exploration” and “research plan” phases over the course of a semester.

Clay High Team A – Design Brief/Journey Map

Posted on by Madison

Project Description:

Enrollment numbers have been dropping for the past 6.5 years and they need help in putting Clay back

on the map and drawing students in. Clay High School was the top high school in South Bend. Over the

years, it has been relegated to the back, and Adams became the top one. Clay currently has an AP

program and School Improvement Plan.

How can we maintain the numbers and attract more students?

Intent/Scope:

Our team wants to address how the school can better market its wide array of services to the parents

and students in the South Bend area.

Exploration Questions:

  1. What makes students want to come to a school?
  2. How does the school currently market itself?
  3. What are the easy problems that can be addressed?
  4. What does Adams offer that Clay does not?
  5. Does Clay have the resources to make the necessary improvements?

Target Users:

The evident target users for a high school are prospective students and their parents.

The focus might be best placed on middle school students, parents of middle school students,

current high school students at other schools, and even elementary school parents. The problem

will involve the community as a whole.

Research Plan:

We will need to gather information on the following major things:

    1. What makes students want to attend a school?
    2. What makes parents want their students to attend a school?
  1. What are Clay’s current offerings?
  2. How are they currently being marketed?
    1. Did something change? What are parents looking for in a school?
    2. Case studies from other successful public schools
    1. Problem identification/survey research. Why is enrollment low, recently?
  3. Is there is actually a deficiency?
  4. What could be changed?
    1. characteristics of audience, where they live/currently attend school
    1. Identify recruitment population
    2. Prepare a recruitment presentation highlighting benefits of Clay education

Expected Outcomes:

We hope to create a recommendation to increase the student attendance at Clay High School.

In order to increase attendance, we believe it is necessary to increase awareness of what the school

offers.

Success Metrics:

  • Number of parents who are aware of the high-school’s offerings
  • Enrollment over the following years

* Effectiveness of metrics will be more effectively measured in the long term as opposed to the short.

Project Planning:

  • Address forms of media: Website? Social Media? News Sources?
    • Personalized tours of school, free lunch during visits
  • Focused recruiting on transition time: 8th grade/middle school parents
  • Where should media and advertising be located? Middle Schools? Local Businesses?
  • Budget Evaluation
    • What is working?(Needs more money)
    • What is not working?(Opportunity to cut)

Design Brief/Journey Map

Posted on by Daniel

Journey Map

 

Design Brief- St. Joseph Health Systems

 

 

  • Project Description
  • The purpose of this project is to find a method to help individuals living in poverty in South Bend get access to the vital health services they need within St. Joseph’s Health System by making transportation services more accessible and affordable.

 

  • Intent/Scope
  • Help people in poverty get consistent and reliable transportation to crucial medical services in the city of South Bend.
  • Opportunities: health insurance coverage, transpo bus routes, hospital shuttles, hired taxis  

 

  • Exploration Questions
  • What are the reasons that those living in poverty cannot reach SJHS? 
  • How much can health insurance (ex. Medicaid) cover rides for individuals?
  • How will this project be funded and who will it be funded by?
  • What have other cities done with similar situations?
  • What are the typical days of our target users?

 

  • Target Users
  • Low income residents without access to transportation for medical services

 

  • Research Plan
  • Interview medical professionals
  • Interview patients in low income areas
  • Observe and analyze what similar medical/ health institutions do to provide transportation services
  • Research federal and local legal aspects

 

  • Expected Outcomes
  • Expect to discover opportunities to cater to most impoverished residents
  • Identify specific impoverished neighborhoods or geographic areas in South Bend that seriously lack transportation for medical services
  • Improved transportation will result in a healthier population
  • Improved transportation will lower emergency room costs and visits

 

  • Success Metrics
  • Population health, less emergency room visits, long term savings from healthier population, community’s approval
  • Decrease in the number of missed appointments
  • Usage and exposure of the program

 

  • Project Planning
  • Our team will conduct research in an attempt to solve our exploration questions over the course of the current semester. We will do so by following our research plan and evaluating the set success metrics frequently.  Interviews will be conducted with SJHS employees and target users in South Bend communities.

 

Center for the Homeless Design Brief

Posted on by Wendy

Project Brief

Project Description

The Center for the Homeless may be able to improve the safety of the community and the homeless

population by connecting the homeless in the encampment with local services available to them

Intent/Scope

Initially, the scope will focus on finding root causes of homelessness in the population, such as

substance abuse or unemployment, with the goal of connecting them with local organizations and/or

services that can address these root problems. The Center for the Homeless will assess the needs of the

homeless in the encampment (such as food, shelter, and mental health services), their current knowledge of

available services, and any barriers preventing them from accessing these services

 

Exploration Questions

The project will seek to answer key questions including:

1.       What are the current community resources available to this homeless population to address their

current needs?

2.       What barriers prevent the homeless from utilizing these services?

3. Is there a need for new service programs to address the homeless population’s needs?

 

Target Users

Our target users will include the homeless population outside of the local shelters, specifically the population

located in the encampment under the bridge in South Bend.

Research Plan

We will conduct in-person interviews with leaders at the Center for the Homeless as well as members of the

homeless population in South Bend.

Expected Outcomes

1.       Provide a stronger connection between local resources and the homeless population

2.       Determine any opportunities for new services to meet the homeless population’s needs

3.       Increase the safety of the community and the homeless population

Success Metrics

1.  Did we identify and reduce major barriers to accessing services for the homeless?

2. Did we increase knowledge and utilization of services by the homeless population?

3. Did we find any gaps in services offered to the homeless and come up with next steps?

Project Planning

A 5-person team will conduct the research and exploratory phase over 6 weeks, followed by the ideation and

prototype phase during the following 6 weeks.

 

Journey Map:

Optum Design Brief

Posted on by Rob

Design Brief

“With the aging of the US population, people will be happier and healthier in their homes versus care facilities. Are there ways of using the Internet of Things to better offer remote monitoring for caregivers, etc.? How do we help immediate post-retirees that are active and do not need a caregiver yet with prevention? For those that are working with a caregiver now, how do we keep them in the home longer?”

Project Description:

Discover a way to use the Internet of Things to monitor our aging population in their own homes and send any and all information to their doctors and/or caregivers.

Intent/Scope:

  • Use the Internet of Things to create better, safer, lives for our aging population
  • Provide caregivers and doctors with more frequent data on their family members/patients in order to catch concerning symptoms early
  • Offer both freedom and safety to immediate post-retirees and active elders

Exploration Questions:

  • What facets of at-home care can currently be improved upon?
  • What role does emerging technology potentially play in this market?
  • What are Optum’s current offerings?

Target Users:

  • Early retirees and soon-to-retire seniors (ages 65-75) who are still active and able, maintain independence in living, and are or have been helping elderly parents through late-life care

Research Plan:

  • Gather current statistics/information on the aging population and this demographic in the healthcare industry
  • Talk to Pat Keran/other Optum employees about any current projects concerning IoT with aging people/caregivers
  • Research current implementation of IoT in the healthcare industry
  • Research caregiving strategy/use of technology with caregivers
  • Interview potential stakeholders directly in order to diagnose current needs (think Competing Against Luck text)

Expected Outcomes:

  • We are expecting to come up with an interactive way to bring aging patients closer to their caregivers and provide accurate information while allowing them to stay in their homes for longer.

Success Metrics:

  • >60% satisfaction with IoT by elderly patients
  • 2 organized activities per week utilizing IoT

Project Planning:

  • Weekly team meetings to discuss strategy
  • Biweekly communication with Contact