project description: develop an intervention with physical touchpoints to mitigate a systemic material waste problem.
project description: develop an intervention with physical touchpoints to mitigate a systemic material waste problem.
Elizabeth Price
engineer | designer |
hive
an integrated home healthcare system
collaborative design engineering studio | MDE - Harvard GSD
project description: develop an intervention with physical touchpoints in order to mitigate a systemic material waste problem.
contribution: user research, experience fabrication, interface development, impact assessment
team members: Cate Tompkins & Nupur Gurjar
design goal: to design an integrated home healthcare system focused on providing robust preventative healthcare recommendations to users, primarily those living with type II diabetes
learning outcomes: forecasting, speculative design, experience design, experience fabrication
tools & processes: adobe after effects, illustrator, photoshop, adobe xd, sketch, wood work
problem
85% of waste in healthcare settings is non-regulated trash or recyclables. Studies suggest that based on the number of visits to primary care physician offices per year, the amount of physical waste produced in these settings exceeds 364 million pounds. An important problem is finding a way to reduce the waste impact of primary health care as the population continues to increase and chronic diseases become more prevalent.
process
Through a home-centered intervention, we aim to design a new preventative health care intervention for 2050 that corresponds with the current trends in healthcare innovation. Furthermore, we hope to create an interactive experience in the bathroom, the optimal location of our system which allows for private reception and implementation of the conveyed information.
solution
First we propose an integrated in-home healthcare system that aids in preventative healthcare and chronic disease management. Second, we explore the user experience of being presented with comprehensive, personal health data on a daily basis by creating an interactive experience. Finally, we design an interface that will allow users to navigate the system more efficiently and take advantage of the proposed interactive experience to improve their overall well being.
the design future
a smarter society
In 2050, we predict that the future of American lifestyle will rely on technology even more heavily than it does now. Technology will be the foundation of all aspects of life, and continuous innovation will be the solution to all of society’s problems. More specifically, we'll see a fast transition of technology into the home, bringing the budding idea of a smart house to fruition.
heightened senses
From the days of Hippocratic 'bedside medicine' to the arrival of the CAT scann, doctors have always relied on their senses in diagnosing and treating disease. To better understand the changing landscape of medical diagnostic capabilities, we researched the existing and emerging methods and technology in hopes of setting the stage for our intervention
the changing landscape
“The physician of the future is going to be...making decisions with so many data points that they cannot make the best decisions without computer-assisted support” - H. Jacobson, VUMC
Medical technology, diagnostic tools, and the future of healthcare delivery are drastically and radically changing, and it's almost certain that it will completely reinvent the current care-delivery model.
research & analysis
current user journey
we decided to conduct user journey research on the current experience of going to see a physician so we could understand potential painpoints for the patient and figure out where waste was being produced during the process.
weight (g)
22.5
28
5.8
50
58.25
Total = 165 g or 0.37 lb / patient
description
5 pages of check-in form
gloves, exam table paper, plastic thermometer cover
1 lab test/immunization & extra gloves per 4 people
gloves
12 pages of check-out paper
estimates of primary care waste
hypothesis
by providing in-home preventative care & around-the-clock monitoring of one’s well being, the number of visits to doctors’ offices and hospitals can be drastically reduced, in turn, reducing the amount of medical waste produced.
our intervention
the system
the user interface
user research
user input
before committing to a specific direction, we interviewed potential users to gain more insight into what some of the primary features of our system should be
use case
while hive has the potential to benefit many different types of users, we decided to narrow in on people living with chronic illnesses - specifically those living with Type II diabetes. We made this decision for the following reasons:
-
almost 10% of the US population has diabetes
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diabetics are used to home healthcare & intimately monitoring their own health
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diabetics have an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, neuropathy, retinopathy, infections & amputations
-
diabetics typically visit physician offices 5-9 times per year
design and development
idea progression
the scope of our system underwent a variety of different versions as we narrowed in on the main priorities of our product. While the idea of an all-encompassing home healthcare system that nearly obsolesces medical professionals may not be as ludicrous as it once was, it's not yet, nor soon to be, considered paramount to providing patients with the best possible healthcare solutions. Furthermore, it would require a drastic systemic transformation in more than just the medical industry which would result enormous societal implications.
interface iteration
Since the interface of this system is the centerpiece of our product, we worked to optimize and streamline the information flow of hive while keeping the needs of the users at the forefront of our decision-making process
designing the experience
