Profiles of Promise: Invaluable Skills

TL;DR

A Stanford student shares her experience working on a design project for an Indian medical equipment company, focusing on creating affordable home care beds.

Transcript

[MUSIC] My name is Amanda. I am a fourth year undergrad at Stanford studying product design. This past Summer, I was working through Stanford at KM Best medical works which is a durable medical equipment company in India. They manufacture a lot of equipment that you'd associate with being in hospitals, hospital beds, and wheel chairs, and tables, a... Read More

Key Insights

• 👪 There is a cultural norm in India to care for elderly parents at home instead of sending them to nursing homes.
• 😨 Hospital beds have the potential to improve the care of elderly and recovering patients in home environments.
• 💦 The Stanford Seed program offered the student the chance to work in a new environment and learn different working styles.
• 🧑‍🎓 The experience provided the student with valuable skills that are transferable to any career or field.
• 🧑‍🎓 Indian culture is welcoming and supportive, and the student felt supported by both colleagues and the community.
• 🎨 The design project allowed the student to bring a fresh perspective and approach to the company's design philosophy.
• 😨 The physical prototype of the home care bed was tested and iterated upon with the input of the Indian engineering team.

Questions & Answers

Q: What was the main project the student worked on in India?

The student worked on designing an affordable modular home care bed for elderly and recovering patients to be used in home environments.

Q: Why is there a big opportunity for hospital beds in home environments in India?

In India, it is a cultural norm to take care of elderly parents at home, creating a demand for hospital beds in home environments.

Q: What made the Stanford Seed program unique for the student?

The program provided the opportunity to work in a different context with familiar concepts, which the student found valuable for personal growth and learning.

Q: How did the student contribute to the company's design approach?

The student proposed conducting design interviews with customers to establish empathy and understand their needs for the home care bed, introducing a different approach to design.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The student worked with KM Best medical works in India to design an affordable modular home care bed.

• In India, it is common to take care of elderly parents at home instead of sending them to nursing homes.

• The experience allowed the student to learn about different working styles and approach design in a unique context.