temperature guns are becoming standard equipment for tackling Covid-19 and future pandemics. Designers have proven how a bit of imagination and empathy—or “design thinking”—can help humanize ominous medical technologies. A classic example is GE’s line of kid-friendly CT scanners made to look like a pirate ship.
In a similar vein, a dog-shaped thermometer photographed in a factory in Hubei might serve as inspiration.
Cognitive psychologist Amy Schwartz shares her thoughts on the necessity of thinking about the emotional resonance of devices. “Aesthetic considerations may seem minor when considering the important medical functions performed by these devices, but these concerns are not small to users,” she writes in an op-ed for the trade journal Med Device. “Ultimately, humanizing medical devices is a path towards better adherence and patient health.”