Throughout this week, we dived into conducting stakeholder interviews. In total, we interviewed 14 people from a wide variety of backgrounds—we talked to businessmen & CEOs, nurses, heads of non-profits, undergraduate and graduate students, engineers, professors, and more. Daily, we accumulated pages and pages of notes based on the invaluable expertise and feedback we received. To conduct these interviews, we drew on the lessons that we previously learned and were able to put into practice the concepts of active listening and effective communication. It truly felt like a culmination of many of the principles we learned—from presentations, human-centered design, brainstorming, documentation, and more.

There were some instances where stakeholders would push us to think of more creative ways to address a facet of our design. It really challenged us to go back to our problem space and think of holistic solutions to address our problem context—solutions which may include our current prototype yet also do not discount the potential of other devices or public health measures to address associated challenges. As we rotated among stakeholder of differing backgrounds, it became evidently clear how critical it is to gather feedback from a diverse group of people.  I am very proud to be aligned with an organization that forges these kinds of partnerships and honors the perspectives we all bring.

Based on the interviews we conducted, we grouped together some common themes from the stakeholder feedback:

In terms of the walk-through decontamination unit:

• Look back to the problem context: Many of our stakeholders encouraged use to think broadly about the problem that the decontamination unit was addressing and think of innovative ways to supplement our current design.
• Consider designing by end-user: Rural areas, high-traffic urban areas, and hospitals all have unique considerations that we will need to account for in the design of our device. Ultimately, we hope to have a device that is most appropriate for the local communities that will use them, so we will do further research on how to best do so in different environment.
• Adjust some aspects of the design:
  • Structure: Many of our stakeholder urged us to think critically about the shape of our device, the material it is made of, how we will incorporate instructions into the device, and the aesthetic value of the overall structure.
  • Chemical: The toxicity of chemicals is a major concern, especially as we hope to limit exposure to vulnerable areas of the body such as the eyes, nose, and mouth. We hope to do further research on both the different kinds of chemicals and on the potential of other non-aerosolized solutions.
  • Drainage System: Our stakeholders urged us to consider some of the ramifications of collecting disinfectant and how we may have to implement newer additions to the device if we hope to re-use collected disinfectant.
  • Activation: It will be imperative for us to conduct testing and determine the sensitivity of the activation mechanism. We also received feedback to consider a variety of mechanisms, such as mechanical, push-powered activation systems.

In terms of the hands-free sanitation station:

• Consider how to best adjust the device for end-user education: We will have to consider how to best promote hygiene practices and sanitation education in our device, particularly across different environmental contexts.
• Adjust some aspects of the design
  • Power Demand: It is critical that any power source should be sustainable and best suited to the environment it is in. Solar panels, for instance, that are used in indoor spaces, should be able to be powered through artificial lights.
  • Sanitizer: We learned from many of our Malawian stakeholders who work in healthcare that sanitizer is expensive and often out of stock. Hence, we should also build a device that can accommodate different solutions that may be used, such as bleach or methylated spirits. After our discussions, we also believe it would be best to add an indicator for when the reservoir is nearly empty.
  • Structure: We will need to critically think about some of the manufacturing constraints of different parts of our device and potentially find more sustainable, locally sourced materials.

In addition to the feedback on our devices, we were able to conduct some needs-finding and identify some areas of opportunity for future innovation. Many of our stakeholder outlined challenges in testing, compliance with public health measures, and manufacturing. We also learned of many technology-related gaps that Rice 360˚ could potentially address, including:

• Reusable PPE and PPE disinfection technology
• Quick, high-sensitivity testing (ideally, breath tests)
• Affordable and reliable infrared thermometers
• Devices that ensure facilities can respond to treating asymptomatic patients
• Disinfection of entire rooms where patients have been
• Incubators where procedures (such as breast feeding, replacing of tubes, etc.) can be done without moving the infant

We will be sure to pass along all of this feedback to the Rice 360˚ community!

After a busy week of stakeholder interviews, I have been able to relax quite a bit over a 4-day weekend and spend some much-needed time with my family. On Friday, some members of my team were able to meet up for a game day–we played a virtual drawing game similar to charades and were able to bond over our indecipherable doodles. Coincidentally, the American and Malawian Independence Days are only 2 days apart. I am curious to see how the celebration of these holidays may compare—I will definitely ask my teammates when we regroup. In the traditional American style, my family held a barbeque and grilled up just about every kind of meat available (as a vegetarian, I watched in terror at a distance). It was great to spend some time with my family and recharge before the final two weeks of the program.

This week presented an incredible opportunity to learn more about various nuances in global health and hear the perspectives of a diverse group of leaders and innovators. We were able to practice many of the skills that we have been building towards in previous workshops. The thoughtful feedback from our various stakeholders will be a major input in the direction of our designs. I am incredible grateful for the stakeholders in giving us their time and feedback, as well as the Rice 360 team for arranging and facilitating this opportunity. I am excited to charge forward in the last two weeks of our internship!

Until next time,

Sana