Idea Generation Part 2
HMWs
How might we make first aid possible without any place to set things or sit down?
How might we make first aid possible with only one hand?
How might we make sure first aid kits in shared spaces are always stocked with materials?
Set Up
My four participants were Erin, Rosie, Cora, and Declan.
Erin is an industrial and systems engineer who has years of experience working in a biomedical research facility closely regulated by the FDA.
Rosie is a senior student in vocal performance at the U of M who works as an honors freshman mentor and in hospitality at a local theater. She also is part of a Minnesota long form improv troupe.

Cora is a Parks Guide for the National Parks Service and a Forester for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Declan is a twin cities performer with experience in various local troupes who also works as a book restoration specialist for the Wilson library.
Erin, Rosie, and Cora share a house. Declan lives above them, so their house was where the session took place. Their dining room table is nice and round and the surrounding walls are pretty bare because they just moved in this year.
Warm Up
The warm up activity I created was similar to the game telephone, but on paper. I wanted to give everyone a chance to warm up their drawing skills and their verbal skills so I started with ‘Look at me, I’m a…’ then passed out post-its and sharpies.


Everyone was to start by drawing a single line of any shape on their paper, then pass their pad to the left. Everyone then adds a single line/element to the pad they have just received and passes it again. The pads of post-its travel around the circle and after a few minutes they each show a unique picture drawn by everyone. Once this happens, time is called and each person must tell the story of what is going on in their picture.
Brainstorming Session
During the session we generated a total of 245 ideas, giving a rate of 1.225 ideas per person per minute.

Above is a picture of all the unsorted ideas. In combination with my HMWs, the thinking strategies from class produced more than I expected. Sorting was a long process for this group, but categories emerged eventually. Groupings were made separating changes to the function of the kit, changes to the set of things inside the kit, and changes to individual components of the kit.



Ideas which were deemed conceptual or societal were hung above our heads in a threshold.








Another section was simply referred to as “lists.” I decided to thin out and resort at a later time because of my confusion. After group sorting was complete I distributed 12 stickers to each participant to be placed in the most interesting ideas- being some combination of feasible, valuable, and creative.

The above voting results show all ideas which received even a single vote. Before selecting the best ten, I vetted and sorted again on my own time.
The ten to picks:
- A bandage with one sticky part so you could wrap it around with one hand (Cora)
- Aloe packet (Rosie)
- Spray on bandage (Declan)
- Pop open roller bandage (Erin)
- Book on first aid for kids (Declan)
- Crank AED (Cora)
- Floating kit (Erin)
- Duct tape (Erin)
- Epi-pen with speaker (Rosie)
- Bog life alert (Rosie)
Top 10 Ideas
- First aid drone gets there before an ambulance

2. First aid sheets like sheets of pills with foil backing. Items can be punched through with one hand which opens the sterile package so it’s ready to use.

3. First aid training toys. Mini sets of tiny first aid supplies sold in the toy isle to be used by kids on toys.
4. Single handed first aid kit containing individual packages which can be easily squeezed and popped open. All dressings have an adhesive anchor on one side so they can be used with one hand.

5. The bog bag. Fist aid/supply bag for trekking through the bog includes a tabletop-like surface, is waterproof, and integrated emergency rescue gps.

6. Suture pen works like a sewing machine except clicking the pen makes a stitch.

7. Smart first aid kit answers your questions to help you through the first aid process without training, and is capable of calling an ambulance if needed.

8. First aid guide app on how to use everyday stuff as first aid supplies in the event you don’t have access to anything else.

9. First aid kit made entirely of band-aids of increasing size. Largest ones replace dressings for more serious injuries, making emergency care more intuitive for novice users.

10. Non-melting materials for band-aids (cotton, Kevlar, leather) for high temp or industrial settings.


Schedule

