Surgical Masks Usability Test Plan
Usability Test Plan
Objectives
In the process of making surgical facemasks, usability test is very crucial to determine the effectiveness of the masks. The necessity to carry out a usability test is to assess the effectiveness of the mask in preventing spread of infections. The surgical face mask is highly efficient in preventing the spread of diseases. Therefore, the outlined procedure for making surgical face masks must result in effective face masks that meet the standards necessary for offering protection. Thus, the goal for conducting this usability test is to ensure the masks are of the right quality so that they don’t jeopardize the health of the users (Davies et al., 2013). The main test to be conducted on these masks is the filtration efficiency test.
Usability Test Plan
This plan outlines the various steps to be followed in testing the effectiveness of the produced mask. It also describes the tasks to be conducted for the procedure to yield expected results. This test seeks to find the right kind of cloth material to use for making the masks. Some materials are too thick while others are very light. A very thick cloth material may affect the user’s ability to breath while a too light material makes the mask ineffective by allowing bacterial and other materials to pass through. The other aspect of testing on the mask is the effectiveness of the non-woven filter material used in making the mask. The primary role of the material is to prevent infiltration of viruses and bacteria through the mask. However, these materials are tested at the point of manufacture, and therefore, it is not upon the audience to conduct an extensive test on the filter material. In this case, it will be a matter of confirmation.
Materials needed for the test are, a vacuum cleaner, a high-pressure sprayer, some fine powder, clean water.
Follow the following steps to conduct the test:
- Pour the powder on a flat and dry surface. Hold the mask tightly on the opening of the vacuum cleaner.
- Using the vacuum cleaner and with the mask on the opening, try to blow the powder on the surface.
- Do step two for at least three minutes.
- Remove the mask from the opening of the vacuum cleaner and observe the other side of the mask. Are there particles of the powder on that side, record the observation.
- Using a high-pressure sprayer, try to spray water against the mask. Do this for a minimum of three minutes. Observe if water passes through and how fast if it does. The whole test should last a minimum of six minutes.
Since powder particles are relatively larger than viruses and bacteria, the mask should not allow any passage when they are blown using a vacuum cleaner. Any mask that allows passage of the particles is ineffective. Besides, the mask should not allow water from the pressure sprayer pass through it with ease. It should only get wet but not allow easy passage.
From the testing, it was revealed that cotton cloth materials are the most effective and suitable for making the masks. That is because they are never too porous or too dense (Davies et al., 2013). Nylon clothing proved too light and could allow bacteria to pass. The woollen cloth is too heavy and could hinder proper breathing. In revising my manual’s instructions, I recommend that people use only cotton clothing in making the masks.
Usability Test Report Memo
To: Dr Strandjord
From: Student’s Name
Re: Usability Test Report
This report outlines the process of conducting a usability test on the surgical masks to determine their usefulness. Since the audience and ordinary tailors interested in making surgical face masks lack the sophisticated equipment to test the effectiveness of the mask, the outlines test plan offers an alternative in determining the suitability of such masks.
The method of testing involves using a vacuum cleaner and a high-pressure sprayer to determine the ability of the masks to prevent materials from passing through. Using the vacuum cleaner, the manufacturer will try to blow some powder through the vacuum cleaner. He/she will then determine which cloth material allows particles to pass through. Similarly, the user will try to spray high-pressure water through the mask and observe what happens. The above tests are aimed at finding suitable cloth to make the masks. The non-filter material is already tested at the point of manufacture and therefore, the above steps help to confirm the quality.
A mask that allows powder material to pass through is ineffective since powder particles are relatively larger than then viruses. Similarly, the mask should only get wet but not allow water to pass through. Therefore, the test found that nylon clothing was too light and let water and particles to pass through. Similarly, woollen material is too heavy to allow proper breathing. The recommendation is that manufactures of masks should only use cotton clothing (Davies et al., 2013). It is both efficient in filtering materials as well as allowing proper breathing by the user.
References
Davies, A. et al. (2013). “Testing the efficacy of homemade masks: Would they protect in an influenza pandemic?” Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S1935789313000438