AP UX Week '07: Wear it during Sex
[Live blogged from Adaptive Path UX Week '07]
The only problems designers get to work on are the ones they are hired to fix. AP was looking for a new challenge and took on the insulin pump.
They designed the charmr to improve this awkward device. It integrates the pump and monitor into one device. An external charm controls the device wirelessly. The main device is worn beneath the clothes and is soft and flexible. A monitor is inserted into the skin and finger pin-pricking is no longer needed.
The external device displays both monitoring data and controls for dosing with a variety of context specific modes.
For more, see http://www.adaptivepath.com/charmr (when they post to this location)
The original idea came from a woman named Amy Tenderich. She wrote an open letter to Steve Jobs asking him to improve the design of an object that people wear every day: the insulin pump.
Medical objects are often designed from the perspective of engineering and physicians. Current insulin pumps are ugly and unpleasant.
AP started by talking to diabetics. They did rich ethnographic research exploring both the home and how the product is used out in the world. It was emotionally difficult research to do because it is a difficult condition for diabetics to live with. The goal was to make something that makes these people's lives better.
Diabetics have to be constantly conscious of their condition. It required a certain kind of personality to make this work, but tools can help mitigate this. They have to consider day-to-day choices in a long-term framework.
They mocked up examples of the equipment and wore it around. They bought test strips and pricked their fingers. They learned that this equipment is expensive and hard to use so people use it less than they should.
They explored what the diabetic needs to understand about themselves. They check their status, calculate, and adjust their dosage. They have to wear the device and keep themselves motivated.
Sometimes I wish I just had cancer instead. a patient
Because the current devices are clunky, it is very hard to do normal activities with them, like sex. Patients feel dehumanized by their condition because of this equipment; they see themselves as cyborgs.
They came up with a ton of ideas that were thrown out. But that is the point of an exercise like this. At one point there was a "third boob" concept. This was crazy but the idea of the pump being a part of your body emerged from this discourse.
If you hide the device in a flesh-like cutlet, what could people use to control it? They thought to make it like a piece of jewelry, like a mood ring for your condition.
The ambient display of this device is designed to give subtle, meaningful feedback. They struggled with what could be displayed on a thumb size device. They designed interaction flows for the medium. While many insulin pumps are as big as a PDA, many diabetics do all of the needed work on a pen size device.
The other innovation with this concept is the connection between the monitor and the pump. This continuity of information allows you to build a device that learns from your behavior and can make meaningful recommendations.
Q: What next?
A: During the process they worked with Amy Tenderich and she was excited about what they are doing. She talks to diabetics and device makers. She would like to see someone produce the device.
Q: How can we get this done for more problems?
A: This method works but this solution isn't the only way this problem could be solved. By putting the research out there they hope to start a conversation.
Q: What was the timeframe for this?
A: About nine weeks including design and research.
Q: How can you make it real?
A: There are many considerations that AP doesn't understand but someone who can should step up and take it up. The thing AP understands is how to design for the user experience. Part of the value of this exercise is to show the value UX in product design.
Q: What about diabetics who can't use the insulin pump?
A: Started by talking to both Type 1 and Type 2 and decided to focus on Type 1 diabetics who must regulate their insulin. Focusing on them enabled them to think of this device.
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: AP UX Week '07: Wear it during Sex.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.samfelder.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/309
Who is this guy?
Leave a comment