Enhancing the process of medical products users’ identification: proposal of the Users Broadening Map method

The Medical Equipment (ME) market has grown worldwide. As with any product development, ME should be developed based on the needs of its users and the search for good usability. User-Centered Design methods can help in identifying such needs and in the search for usability in products. Although many methods are suggested, there is a shortage of methods to raise users of a particular product. Thus, this work aims to develop a method to identify users of medical products. The method developed (users broadening map) was applied in a focus group and three case studies, and many benefits were identified. The users broadening map brings a better understanding of what a user is, facilitates the identification of different users, helps in prioritizing requirements, and in selecting users for tests. In addition, the information obtained by the method application can be used by companies to carry out reports for usability certification.