But that’s not the whole story. Before our inhouse anatomists, graphic artists and software specialists do what they do best, we listen to you.
How does this work in practice? Well, we’re always learning from what you tell us. This ranges from your answers to our online polls and questionnaires to all the feedback you give to our customer services, technical support, and sales teams.
We also really appreciate the insights into your professional lives that many of you have given us. Indeed, in 2020, in the space of just 3 months, 70 of you agreed to an in-depth customer interview with us, from lecturers and librarians to practitioners and students.
This is all backed by your input into the tests and experiments we run with small groups. And, of course, the Primal team always loves catching up with you and discussing what you’d like to see us do at conferences and events – even if this is just virtually for now!
Adapting Solutions for COVID-19
Your insights and opinions have been invaluable over the past 12 months in helping us understand how to meet your changing Anatomy & Physiology education needs around the ever-shifting pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic.
So, it’s a huge thank you from us, and here’s what we’ve done with your feedback. This includes a sneak peek at the new and exciting developments we have planned for the rest of 2021.
3D Anatomy of Disease and Conditions
We know that you love Primal’s trusted and accurate 3D digital model featuring mainly healthy anatomy. But as our product director, Lorna Wilson, says: “The feedback that we were getting from customers in many fields was that they really wanted to see what happens to the model and that healthy anatomy when there are pathologies there.”
In response, we created our Disease & Conditions product, which uses guided videos, images, and text to explain the normal, abnormal, and clinical anatomy of over 80 diseases in detail.
This is an end-to-end solution that supports your problem-based learning and the wider health sciences curriculum, so we’re delighted by how well this product has been received by you.
Remote Learning on Any Device, Anywhere
One of the big challenges you set us around the COVID-19 crisis was creating remote learning solutions that deliver on quality, but don’t penalize users who want to access on a mobile device.
As a result, we’ve optimized Anatomy.tv for mobile phones. In December, we also launched a new product, 3D Anatomy Quiz , this is currently available on desktops, but we are close to releasing a mobile app version, which once downloaded, works offline. This means anyone on any device, anywhere – including outside formal teaching sessions – can improve and test their understanding of gross anatomy using ‘What is?” and “Where is?” question sets.
This product is also good fun! “The quizzing element helps students self-assess while they’re away from the lab. But it also has this level of gamification to it that means it’s a more enjoyable experience to help with engagement,” says Wilson.
Immersive Learning Experiences in Stunning VR
Having talked with many of you about the potential of virtual reality (VR) in anatomy education, in 2020, we launched Primal VR , an interactive learning experience that is also fully immersive so requires less cognitive load.
We really wanted to understand its impact in your teaching environments, so product director, Lorna Wilson, took it on a mini tour of colleges and universities. And the feedback was incredible, so thank you!
“All these different people – including real sceptics – were trying it and were absolutely blown away by Primal VR, saying this is just so important for spatial awareness, for engaging students and for them really understanding anatomy. So, that was fantastic to understand,” says Wilson.
Powerful New Products and Features to Look out for in 2021!
We want all our products to be useful, inspiring and delivering positive student outcomes, so there’s more to come. Here’s a quick taster of a few things you can expect in the rest of 2021.
- My Anatomy TV
Like your favorite shopping apps, this powerful new feature will make your Anatomy.tv experience more personal, enjoyable, and relevant. Those accessing the site through an institution will be able to create a personal account. You’ll be able to favorite and save the content you use most often and get recommendations according to the course you’re teaching or studying, or your specialist field of practice. “A lot of the customers we speak to absolutely love the content once they’ve found the right product. So, we want to make that process easier and quicker,” says Wilson.
- More Muscle Function Animations
You’ve been asking us for more muscle function and biomechanics animations for a while. So, this year we’re launching 3D Real-time Functional Anatomy, and we’re raring to go!Why? Because in our Real-time format you’ll be able to view the animations from any angle and control which muscles are shown. This means a better understanding of muscle function for everyone, including those practicing, teaching, or studying physical therapy.
- Anatomy TV – Access for All
“It’s really important to us that anybody who wants to learn anatomy, can” says Wilson, “so, we’re also going to be making further improvements to the accessibility of Anatomy.tv this year.”This includes ensuring the site is fully accessible via screen readers and shortcuts and adheres to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as far as possible.
Get in Touch!
There’s a lot to look forward to from Primal throughout 2021, but we know that it’s going to be a difficult year. As the COVID-19 crisis continues to cause disruption for everyone across all sectors, we’re here to partner and support you with a range of digital anatomy solutions that help drive positive student outcomes.
We’d also love to hear about how you’re using our new products and features. So, whatever you want to ask or tell us, get in touch by emailing [email protected].