When developing new products, proving the technology and usability of the product at an early stage can reduce time to market, and prevent costly mistakes.

This section of the user protocol highlights the complex nature of mapping the product development.

Software development brief

User Interface Simulation:

Product designers within the Unipath group had, given a functional specification, mapped out the user interface and workflow protocol for a new healthcare product – one that would feature an LCD touch-screen and embedded software application.

The objectives of the project were twofold

• to validate the user protocol for usability and completeness, identifying any problems with the protocol logic, and thus ensuring that a clear, concise and accurate final specification may be given to the embedded development team
• to evaluate the functionality offered (as a marketing function) to ensure that the new product would sit well in the marketplace

This screen shot of the user interface simulation shows how the proposed product can be accurately modelled using product simulation software.

The WyeTec approach was to develop an application in Visual Basic.Net that could then be distributed to laboratories for testing and evaluation.

The new features in .Net (dynamic object creation and event handlers, object inheritance) allowed each screen on the user protocol to be designed in isolation, with the interactivity between screens being managed by a software "state machine". This approach meant that the focus of the project could be on the details of the user protocol, rather than the technicalities of the simulation – and WyeTec personnel were able to assist in ironing out any issues with the protocol logic at an early stage.

The simulation has been distributed to testing laboratories in the UK and the USA for assessment. When the results have been collated, they will be fed back into the development cycle, ensuring the quality and marketability of the end product.

To find out more about product simulation software, please contact us.

 

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