ABSTRACT
Insights from early research using Cross-functional Collaborative Prototyping (CFCPing) suggest that prototypes provide a fuller integration of disciplinary knowledge and expertise, helping to conduct efficient collaboration more easily and thus creating concrete product concepts and definitions more effectively. A pediatric hospital in need of innovative solutions for identified medication safety challenges provided an opportunity to apply CFCPing in industry. A series of collaborative prototyping sessions were conducted with front line pharmacy and nursing staff and industrial designers to identify new ways of storing and preparing medication on a surgical unit. Systematic observation was used to identify characteristics of the interactions between participants and the artifacts they created. Findings from this study illustrate, and lead to a better understanding of, how prototyping can support interdisciplinary interactions and design development in this context.
