Biotechnology for Health (Biomedical Innovations)

Unit 1: Problem 1: Effective ER DesignBI 1.1Biomedical Innovation: research & information literacy

Run a needs assessment

Find out what users actually need before designing, by gathering evidence about the gap between the current situation and the goal.

Builds on (2 levels back)inferred · med confidence

Telling a problem from a solution: A needs assessment describes the problem and the gap; jumping to a solution too early skips the evidence step.
Identifying the user or stakeholder: You cannot assess needs without first naming whose needs you are measuring: patients, nurses, families.

Prerequisites are inferred: pending teacher review.

Re-learn the skill with worked practice and clear examples.

A needs assessment names the stakeholders, gathers evidence about the current situation, and measures the gap between now and the goal: before choosing a solution.

Step 1: Identify stakeholders

List everyone affected by the ER: patients, nurses, doctors, families, and the people who run the hospital. Their needs may differ, so you gather from more than one group.

Step 2: Gather evidence

Collect data, not guesses: wait times, the number of patients per hour, interviews, and observations of what actually happens. This is the evidence that shows whether a need is real.

Step 3: Measure the gap

Compare the current situation to the goal. The gap (for example, a 3-hour wait versus a target of under 1 hour) is the documented need that the design must close.

Practice

A team wants to redesign an emergency room. Which action is the BEST first step in a needs assessment?

Reviewed

A.Pick the design they like most and start building
B.Gather evidence from patients and staff about current wait times and problems
C.Copy another hospital's layout exactly
D.Ask the principal which design looks nicest

Show the worked solution ▾

Answer: B. Gather evidence from patients and staff about current wait times and problems

Step 1: Recall the purpose: A needs assessment is about finding out what users really need, using evidence, before a solution is chosen.
Step 2: Match the action: Gathering evidence from the patients and staff about current waits and problems is exactly the evidence-gathering step; the others skip straight to a solution or an unrelated opinion.

Why it's right: Gathering evidence from the actual stakeholders about the current situation is the core of a needs assessment, while the other options choose a solution before the need is documented.

Why the others miss:

A: Building the favorite design first skips the entire needs assessment.
C: Copying another layout assumes their needs match yours without checking.
D: A 'looks nicest' opinion is not evidence about user needs.

Aligned to Design research: needs assessment · reading level ~grade 9

Where you'd see this

Before redesigning the ER, a team interviews nurses and patients and logs real wait times, then writes the gap as a measurable need.

Careers that use this

Biomedical Engineer: Studies how users interact with current equipment and measures the gap before designing a replacement.

Video library

Watch: Run a needs assessment

UX Design Process: Empathize, Define, and Ideate | ( Course 2/7 ) Complete Course

My Lesson · ~20 min

Guided notes

Fill these in as you work through the lesson.

Big idea: A needs assessment gathers evidence about the gap between how things are now and how they should be, so a design solves a real, documented need instead of a guessed one.

Key terms: write the meaning

Needs assessment (study of what users really need):
Stakeholder (anyone affected by the design):
Gap (the size of the problem you still have to close):
Evidence (data, not guesses):

The rule

A needs assessment names the whose needs matter, gathers about the current situation, and measures the between how things are now and the goal: before anyone picks a solution.

Check yourself

Who are two stakeholders you would talk to before redesigning an emergency room?
Why is it a mistake to choose a solution before doing a needs assessment?
What kind of evidence would show that ER wait time is a real need to fix?

Work one example

Your team thinks the ER 'needs more chairs.' Plan a needs assessment instead: name the stakeholders, list two kinds of evidence you would collect, and describe the gap you would measure before deciding what to change.