1. *Based on your life experience, skills and interests, what would a design process that is both uniquely yours and effective look like? (Roy)

The design process that I have used in the past involved working backward from the idea itself. That way, it has always been easy to lay up a plan and develop a step by step execution. A measurable and implementable idea is the first step. From then on, the question is, who will participate in this idea given that it is implemented? This question looks at consumers or customers to the end product of the idea. After answering this question, I would then move a step back to question just how exactly I can deliver the product to the same customers/consumers or how I can get the prospect participants to gain awareness of this product. This requires figuring out the marketing strategies like advertisement and possible distribution points of the product. After reaching a certain number of possible outlets, the next question would be to look at potential, influential people to buy into this idea and then later up develop a team with certain traits and share the same vision for the possibility of this idea. The last step would be then the actual development of the product and part of it entails analyzing the costs of production and potential mark up price for the product. At that point, at least a strategy is laid out with certain contingencies and flexibility for dynamics that might alter the original strategy.

2. *Identify your three most important stakeholders and list five UNIQUE attributes for each one of them. (Conner)

1. Possible Sickle Cell Patients in Sierra Leone

• They are the direct recipients of our work
• However, some may be unreceptive to the device and Western medicine
• They have the greatest need for our product
• Possible Sickle Cell patients and their families do not have the resources to pay for alternative solutions
• Their feedback will be crucial towards the project’s success

2. World Hope 

• Our creation of the test strips also aligns with their main mission of providing and protecting those who are under-served.
• We are not the only group who is working through the World Hope Organization or in Sierra Leone
• Working through World Hope allows us to give hope to others
• World Hope can give us connections in Sierra Leone 
• Their connections can help to improve the design, implementation and efficacy of our product

3. Lehigh University

• As Lehigh students, we have a unique opportunity to display the Lehigh brand
• Also, as students, we have to handle ourselves professionally domestically and in Sierra Leone
• Lehigh is one of our funding sources and an organization we have to answer to
• They will receive part of the research’s prestige
• Lehigh faculty and teammates will supply us with technical knowledge for our product

3. *Identify three ways in which you will validate your project concept, technology, usability, and business model. (Tiffany)

In order to ensure that the diagnostic device will be in optimal use for low and middle-income countries (LMICs), the team will build partnerships and connections with World Hope International and Lehigh Valley hospital to receive feedback from medical experts on the operational aspects of the device, and learn how to address implementation challenges. By considering these context-specific frameworks for the diagnostic device, together with integrating the Sierra Leone local’s knowledge to guarantee a functioning device, these factors will indicate an overall validation of our project. This is especially significant when validation is given from the locals of Sierra Leone themselves because they are the ones who will be utilizing the device and will incorporate value in the device. The people’s acceptance is the ultimate goal because the technology can be promoted to be amazing and all, but will have no worth unless the acceptance of the device is established. Therefore, another process of validating our project is educating the public about the device’s concept and usability. To do so, every patient must fill out forms that consist of the process of the diagnosis, background information of Sickle Cell Anemia, explanation of risks, waiver of liability and a signature to signify consent. Patients who are still unsure can under-go a walk-through with the assisting health provider to visualize the process first-hand. The goal is to have patients understand what they are being tested for, why it is important to be diagnosed and where they could receive immediate treatment if tested positive of the Sickle Cell trait.

4. Give three examples of something very interesting you learned from a friend that was a completely alien concept to you.

In college, I met my girlfriend, who was born in the United States, but the rest of her family was born in Brazil. I took 10 years before college, so I thought the language and culture would be similar to the Spanish equivalents. However, I soon learned it was completely disparate. Her grandmother only speaks Portuguese, so she has tutored me in conversational Portuguese so I can interact with her. Through her and her family, I have also learned about common characteristics of Brazilians, like being late to gatherings and Braizilian food, like pão de queijo and Churrascos. Secondly, in high school, I joined a robotics team sophomore year. I was more interested in design and construction, but the team needed a second coder. I have always been receptive to trying new things, so I obliged in helping. The main coder, Alex, taught me Java, my computer language. Since then, I have enjoyed coding as a hobby. I am now a Teacher’s Assistant for ENGR 010 and can code in C++, Java and MATLab. Finally, I worked on a research project in high school. I was working on a project involving generating energy through the kinetic energy generated by a Hippo Roller and was not good at circuitry. My mentor, Rudy, an electrical engineer by trade, taught me a lot about basic circuitry, soldering and more for my project.