Staying alive - Developing a defibrillator for everyday portability

Abstract: In today’s society, sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Automated External Defibrillators are often found in public spaces, but a majority of sudden cardiac arrests occur in home environments. Even so, the current options for personal defibrillators are severely limited and not adapted for everyday portability. The purpose of this project was to design an Automated External Defibrillator which addresses the needs and demands of a portable personal defibrillator, and eases the daily lives of the intended users. The project was executed with a strong focus on user research, using methods such as surveys, in-depth interviews and mockup testing - with inexperienced, experienced and expert users alike. This user focused research led to the development of an Automated External Defibrillator which improves the user experience through tactile and semantic principles, as well as optimizing portability and understandability. The design was then visualized through analogue and digital sketches, foam mockups, virtual 3D models, and digital renderings.