Meet the designer behind LumiGuide

Q: Was there anything unique about your design process for this project? What did you do differently?
A: I would say that collaboration, co-creation and the early involvement of Philips Experience Design in the project were key to this success. Philips has a long history and culture of innovation with a strong focus on user-centered design. This means that as designers, we are often involved very early in the development process. This project was no exception. Working closely with several hospitals in different countries and academic, clinical and industrial partners, we were involved from the research prototype to the actual final product. For example, we spent the first 18 months bringing mock models and semi-functional prototypes to interventional labs, with constant feedback from physicians, which significantly reduced the time lost in iterations.

We also attended aortic surgeries that lasted 4-6 hours to observe, take notes, and talk with doctors, technicians, and nurses. One thing you quickly realize is that while your product may seem like the center of the world to you, in an interventional lab it is just a small part of a much larger system.

You have been part of the FORS project since its creation, more than 10 years ago. What has been the main role of Design throughout this journey?
As designers, we started by helping to surface and really understand user needs. And because healthcare product release cycles tend to be very long and changes aren’t as easily accepted, we worked very hard to make sure things were as accurate as possible, right from the first release.

If a new product is too complicated, time-consuming or confusing to set up or use, medical staff will quickly stop using it. Our role has therefore been not only to ensure that the system meets the needs of users and is as simple to use as possible, but also to master and configure it, and most importantly, to integrate it seamlessly into existing working methods. Ultimately, our main goal is to simplify the product as much as possible so that doctors can focus on the procedure and the patient, without being distracted by interacting with the system.

What were the biggest challenges you faced?
I would say one of the biggest challenges has been balancing integrating LumiGuide into current practices while simultaneously improving them. LumiGuide has the potential to radically transform medical procedures, but changes in healthcare happen incrementally due to the industry’s cautious approach to changing what is known to work. Another big challenge is that LumiGuide is just one of many tools used in procedures, and the staff supporting the physician often travels between labs without being trained on all the systems. This means the design must be simple to learn, set up, and use, which, again, with such a new and disruptive technology, can be particularly challenging.

Now that the LumiGuide is a reality, successfully used in the treatment of nearly 1000 clinical cases (3) at key sites in Europe and the United States, and expanding, what is your role in the project?
The role of design doesn’t end with the release of a product. We’re constantly updating and improving it. As LumiGuide moves from a limited edition in select hospitals to a targeted release, we’ve focused on improving the software, adding automation (e.g. AI), and refining the user interface to streamline the setup process. Later this year, we plan to conduct extensive field studies around the world to understand how LumiGuide is actually being used in practice and how it can help further reduce radiation in complex aortic procedures.