Olympus

A formative usability test according to IEC 62366:2099 was carried out to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Olympus ENDOALPHA user interface. The results of this study are used in the development process, in order to make the ENDOALPHA as user-friendly as possible for use in the highly complex working environment of an operating room.

Image source: Olympus Winter & Ibe GmbH

Olympus ENDOALPHA is an integrated solution for endoscopy that creates processes more efficiently and offers gastroenterological and pneumological teams better ergonomics, communication and information processing. ENDOALPHA connects you and eases your workflow by means of a modular system. ENDOALPHA offers one single user interface for operating project management, video management, documentation and central control of all medical and peripheral devices in the operating room.

The goal of the study was to evaluate the combination of all these features in a single user interface with respect to the usability of the new interfaces, and to develop suggestions for further optimisation.

To achieve this goal, a User Feedback Day was held with five participants from the target group of the device. A prototype of the new user interface could be operated via a touch screen device. Users carried out typical tasks and were observed and interviewed by a usability expert. For parts of the software, different alternatives were tested.

The Olympus development team and the design agency observed the sessions live through monitors and one-way mirrors. In-between and after the sessions, the results of the study were discussed between GfK SirValUse and Olympus, and recommendations for change, as well as mock ups were developed. Through the intensity of the testing day, which had the character of a workshop, decisions on how to continue development could be immediately taken and directly incorporated in the development process, without losing time.

Further details on the Internet:
www.olympus-europa.com/endoalpha/