Overview
Surgical Science provides advanced simulation training to medical professionals to help them gain confidence in new skills and shorten the time it takes to gain competency. They developed a VR prototype application that uses an Oculus Rift-S to train medical staff how to set up a robot for surgery.
Problem
Real surgical robotic machines in hospitals are not typically used for training because they are expensive and reserved for patient surgeries. Improved simulated training, without using the actual robot, can help save on costs, time, and logistics for travel, proctors and other personnel.
Objectives
- Evaluate Surgical Science's existing VR prototype to validate and update the future feature roadmap.
- Develop a concept that could improve the learning experience for surgical staff to set up surgical robotic systems.
- Understand how we could improve the learning experience for surgical staff to set up surgical robotic systems.
Impact
- Our project won honorable mention for Best in Design during the Human-Centered Design and Engineering award show at the University of Washington.
- The insights across the various methods were compiled into an in-depth research report that was shared with Surgical Science for feedback.
- The research report also included 9 design principles that were derived from the insights we gathered during the research and used to create a VR design concept for Surgical Science.
Project Details
Research Questions
- What are the stages and phases of robot-assisted surgery?
- What do learning journeys look like for those learning robot-assisted surgery?
- How much is learned on-the-job?
- What are people thinking, doing, and feeling as they learn robot setup?
- How are responsibilities distributed and determined at each stage of the surgery and setup?
- What is included in the setup curriculum and why?
- What are the unique opportunities and limitations with VR for training?
Participants
- Primary Users: Robotic surgeons, surgical technologists, surgical residents, fellows in training, and perioperative staff who are involved in setting up surgical robots.
- Secondary Users: Educators, trainers and researchers for robot-assisted surgery.
Methods
Secondary Research
I reviewed 5 of 20 secondary resources, primarily consisting of academic, peer-reviewed sources related to robotic surgery and VR training to achieve a baseline understanding of robotic surgery setup, key terminology, and what data already existed.
Heuristic Evaluation
I completed a heuristic evaluation of the sponsor’s demo using a modified, VR-specific version of Jakob Nielsen’s 10 usability heuristics to become familiar with the demo and identify design problems with the user interface.
Competitive Analysis
I analyzed 3 of 9 potential competitors, benchmarking features related to robotic surgery simulation and setup training to produce recommendations of common features vs. differentiators for Surgical Science.
In-Depth Interviews
I conducted 4 of 10 semi-structured interviews with participants across three countries to learn about participant backgrounds, their opinion of the VR demo, how they prefer to learn, robot surgery curriculum, and the user journey for robot surgery setup.
Participatory Design Activity
I completed 6 participatory design activities using Miro to gain insights into user goals, motivations, pain points, feelings, and ideas for future training experiences.
Analysis
- The findings were documented and coded in Miro using sticky notes and labels for each method our team conducted.
- I analyzed the interview and participatory design activity data.
- I also conducted the final thematic analysis across all of the research methods.
- The results from the analysis were shared with and reviewed by my team.
Insights
- Team collaboration is a motivating and supporting factor for people learning to set up surgical robots.
- Learning how to set up a surgical robot typically happens on the job where people interact with a real robot and often in preparation for a live case.
- There is an opportunity for simulation technology to better support assessments that provide direct feedback and hold the bar on proficiency.
- Haptic sensation plays a strong role in successfully positioning the robot for surgery, but is seldom included in current training that is not in person.
- While current technology is limited, augmented reality (AR) might be a better way to learn robot surgery setup than VR.
Impact
- Our project won honorable mention for Best in Design during the Human-Centered Design and Engineering award show at the University of Washington.
- The insights across the various methods were compiled into an in-depth research report that was shared with Surgical Science for feedback.
- The research report also included 9 design principles that were derived from the insights we gathered during the research and used to create a VR design concept for Surgical Science.
Next Steps
- The concept of a VR training solution for robot surgery setup was just an idea that a product manager at Surgical Science had come up with.
- They needed to demonstrate the value of bringing this product to market.
- Besides verifying early assumptions made about how this product could work, our team provided numerous data inputs, a list of ideas, and examples of evidence-based improvements that could be made in the future to help justify investment in this product.
Reflection
- While we had originally intended to design a fully immersive VR prototype, after our research phase we realized that the learning curve to do VR development and time would be major constraints. We chose to pivot and create a prototype that could be used to demonstrate our research findings.
- Also, I learned how valuable it is to involve others during research. Since my entire team conducted various parts of the research, conversations about insights and how to proceed with design were very smooth.
- Finally, this project taught me a lot about how to maximize research findings from a difficult recruitment source. Through the use of the participatory design activity, we were able to uncover insights to better meet the needs of the intended users.