Role Industrial Designer, User Researcher
Responsibilities Trend analysis / User testing / Prototyping / Concept Development
Project Type Medical product incubation project
Date 2016
“We would like to develop a smartpen storage solution for our users."
The ask from our client was to develop a storage system for diabetes supplies that integrates a digital health technology that is currently in development.
Before the project began
Previous Phase
The previous phase of this project explored multiple ideas of a pen home system and validated the concepts through user testing to select a direction to move forward.
Chosen Direction
Modular concept was the most preferred direction because of a) its flexibility that allow users to configure depends on their needs and also b) its discrete visual perception that does not look like a medical product but easily blends into user's lifestyle.
investigating a problem
I led the project after the direction was chosen to develop a modular pen home system. After revisiting previous phases of works and findings from user testing, I decided to circle back to understand the current user's routines, work-around to carry their diabetes kit, and environment.
What do they carry around?
Most users leave their long-acting insulin pens and needles at home and carry around short-acting insulin pens, needles, blood glucose meter kits with them.
Each user has a different condition that requires different supplements to their diabetes. So finding the spectrum of modularity was key as a first step of designing the system.
What do we want our users to carry around besides the pen and needles? What are the essential items? How can we make a semi-defined system so the product doesn't become a giant storage box of diabetes products?
Investigated minimum volume, interaction, and electronic component restrictions
Brainstormed around: Lid opening interaction and mechanism, modular joint mechanism, pen and needles access interaction, and modular system.
Downselected features and mechanisms to group into a systematic concept.