This accelerator provides advice on creating a design context map for Step 4 of A Guide to Writing a Design Context Review in Bioengineering Design. It includes instructions and an accompanying example of a design context map. Note that this map was created in Powerpoint for readability purposes only; we do not recommend using Powerpoint or any software package to create this map. Simply handwrite your map on standard paper (or a larger size if you want something suitable for brainstorming as a team).

To use this accelerator- Run the powerpoint as a slide show and read the comments below to accompany the slides.

1. Write or type your problem statement at the top of a piece of paper.

Team Panda’s problem statement: Current research on bone repair and therapy suggests that small, continuous adjustment of fractures can aid healing and improve the quality of regenerated tissue. Making continuous adjustments, however, requires near-constant monitoring that creates a burden for nursing staff and can be onerous for patients receiving fracture fixation. A device that could automatically perform continuous, pre-set adjustments while providing the proven stability of the Taylor Spatial Frame has the potential to shorten treatment times. It also would streamline fracture fixation therapy and cut therapy costs by reducing the need for operator oversight.

2. Think about pieces of information necessary to explain this problem statement. Start by checking the background you collected while analyzing your aims. Write major categories of information needed to address the problem statement on the paper. Don’t worry about order.

Team Panda writes the following on the page, scattered to allow room to complete the rest of the map: Bone repair physiology, past theories used in bone repair, new theory of bone repair, Taylor Spatial Frame, how to implement new theory with Taylor Spatial Frame, benefits of new approach.

3. Expand the categories by including subcategories that elaborate on how the broad topic contributes to explaining the problem. Don’t worry about repeating information—if information needed to explain a subtopic appears in two areas, you can notice this at a later step and determine the best place to include it. Remember, as well, that you might not include all the information that you researched. Try to identify the research best suited to explaining your problem statement.

Team Panda adds topics under bone repair physiology: review of bone structure, how bones break, how bones grow, physiological/mechanical factors that promote healing, complications associated with repair/therapy. They similarly expand the other categories

4. Once you have created the groups of categories and subcategories on the page, step back and look the groups. Is anything missing? Do these groups, together, contribute to understanding the problem statement? If information is missing, add it under the appropriate category or add a new category and subcategories.

5. When you are satisfied that all the information is present on the page, begin studying how the categories connect. Which categories are essential to understanding discussion in another category? Does any information overlap? Can connected content be combined or condensed? Does it need to be explained? Draw lines to show how categories relate to others. Add text to explain the connection. This text will help you identify places where you may need explanatory text to transition readers from one point to the next in your written review.

6. Analyze your completed map. Consider the following questions during your analysis:

• Which information defines the desired condition? Which gives evidence of contrary conditions or difficulties? How can you sum up the gap between what is needed and what exists now?
• Which categories are most often connected to (this may help you identify critical points to emphasize)?
• Do you need additional information to explain some of the connections you have made?
• Does a logical order emerge from the map (we need to discuss this first, then this, followed by this)? Number the groups to indicate which material you would discuss in what order.