A medical device usability testing platform was put into service at Jiangsu Medical Device Technological Industrial Park in Suzhou New District, Jiangsu province on May 17.
The platform is the first professional testing platform of its kind in China, offering a fully simulated medical environment, and is expected to bring about major changes in the field that was once the exclusive domain of foreign countries.
In addition to testing the usability of medical devices, the platform will also test interactive design, man-machine interaction, man-machine interface, human factors engineering, human engineering and user experience.
The first phase of the platform has been completed and includes well-equipped facilities such as a nurse station, two doctor's offices, two operating rooms, two intensive care units, and two public wards.
In the next five to 10 years, another testing platform will likely be constructed for large scale medical devices.
Usability testing is a technique used in user-centered interaction design to evaluate a product by testing it on users. Such a test is capable of improving design, reducing errors and ensuring safety.
Covering an area of two square kilometers, the Jiangsu Medical Device Science Technological Industrial Park contains a scientific research innovation zone, a zone for authoritative testing and evaluation institutions, a zone with comprehensive supporting facilities, an industrial demonstration zone and a medical device industry innovation center.
Focusing on diagnostic reagent, biomedical materials and medical robots, the industrial park has to date gathered more than 200 businesses with a focus on medical devices.