Fieldwork-based determination of design priorities for point-of-use drinking water quality sensors for use in resource-limited environments
Improved capabilities in microfluidics, electrochemistry, and portable assays have resulted in the development of a wide range of point-of-use sensors intended for environmental, medical, and agricultural applications in resource-limited environments of developing countries. However, these devices a...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2020
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/124026 |
| _version_ | 1826213843627409408 |
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| author | Bono Jr, Michael S Beasley, Sydney Hanhauser, Emily Hart, Anastasios John Karnik, Rohit Vaishnav, Chintan H. |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering Bono Jr, Michael S Beasley, Sydney Hanhauser, Emily Hart, Anastasios John Karnik, Rohit Vaishnav, Chintan H. |
| author_sort | Bono Jr, Michael S |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Improved capabilities in microfluidics, electrochemistry, and portable assays have resulted in the development of a wide range of point-of-use sensors intended for environmental, medical, and agricultural applications in resource-limited environments of developing countries. However, these devices are frequently developed without direct interaction with their often-remote intended user base, creating the potential for a disconnect between users' actual needs and those perceived by sensor developers. As different analytical techniques have inherent strengths and limitations, effective measurement solution development requires determination of desired sensor attributes early in the development process. In this work, we present our findings on design priorities for point-of-use microbial water sensors based on fieldwork in rural India, as well as a guide to fieldwork methodologies for determining desired sensor attributes. We utilized group design workshops for initial identification of design priorities, and then conducted choice-based conjoint analysis interviews for quantification of user preferences among these priorities. We found the highest user preference for integrated reporting of contaminant concentration and recommended actions, as well as significant preferences for mostly reusable sensor architectures, same-day results, and combined ingredients. These findings serve as a framework for future microbial sensor development and a guide for fieldwork-based understanding of user needs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T15:55:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/124026 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T15:55:43Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1240262022-10-02T05:09:04Z Fieldwork-based determination of design priorities for point-of-use drinking water quality sensors for use in resource-limited environments Bono Jr, Michael S Beasley, Sydney Hanhauser, Emily Hart, Anastasios John Karnik, Rohit Vaishnav, Chintan H. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning Technology and Policy Program Sloan School of Management Improved capabilities in microfluidics, electrochemistry, and portable assays have resulted in the development of a wide range of point-of-use sensors intended for environmental, medical, and agricultural applications in resource-limited environments of developing countries. However, these devices are frequently developed without direct interaction with their often-remote intended user base, creating the potential for a disconnect between users' actual needs and those perceived by sensor developers. As different analytical techniques have inherent strengths and limitations, effective measurement solution development requires determination of desired sensor attributes early in the development process. In this work, we present our findings on design priorities for point-of-use microbial water sensors based on fieldwork in rural India, as well as a guide to fieldwork methodologies for determining desired sensor attributes. We utilized group design workshops for initial identification of design priorities, and then conducted choice-based conjoint analysis interviews for quantification of user preferences among these priorities. We found the highest user preference for integrated reporting of contaminant concentration and recommended actions, as well as significant preferences for mostly reusable sensor architectures, same-day results, and combined ingredients. These findings serve as a framework for future microbial sensor development and a guide for fieldwork-based understanding of user needs. 2020-03-06T19:47:51Z 2020-03-06T19:47:51Z 2020-01 2020-03-05T13:57:37Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 1932-6203 https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/124026 Bono Jr, Michael S et al. "Fieldwork-based determination of design priorities for point-of-use drinking water quality sensors for use in resource-limited environments." PLoS ONE 15, 1 (January 2020): e0228140 © 2020 Public Library of Science en http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0228140 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ application/pdf Public Library of Science (PLoS) PLoS |
| spellingShingle | Bono Jr, Michael S Beasley, Sydney Hanhauser, Emily Hart, Anastasios John Karnik, Rohit Vaishnav, Chintan H. Fieldwork-based determination of design priorities for point-of-use drinking water quality sensors for use in resource-limited environments |
| title | Fieldwork-based determination of design priorities for point-of-use drinking water quality sensors for use in resource-limited environments |
| title_full | Fieldwork-based determination of design priorities for point-of-use drinking water quality sensors for use in resource-limited environments |
| title_fullStr | Fieldwork-based determination of design priorities for point-of-use drinking water quality sensors for use in resource-limited environments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fieldwork-based determination of design priorities for point-of-use drinking water quality sensors for use in resource-limited environments |
| title_short | Fieldwork-based determination of design priorities for point-of-use drinking water quality sensors for use in resource-limited environments |
| title_sort | fieldwork based determination of design priorities for point of use drinking water quality sensors for use in resource limited environments |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/124026 |
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