Sustainable healthcare product and service concept in collaboration with Neopenda, a needs-base healthcare startup, to help prevent misdiagnosis, and make vital monitoring accessible in Ghana and Nigeria.
Duration
Aug - Dec 2022
Role
Experience Designer (in a team of 4 Designers and Strategists)
Client
Neopenda
In response to an open-ended brief from Neopenda concerning the usability, accessibility, and redefining the experience of their 4-in-1 health vitals monitoring device, Neoguard, we delivered a comprehensive healthcare product and service concept. We focused on serving low to medium-income communities in Nigeria and Ghana through at-home monitoring while leveraging existing healthcare systems.
The result is Neomita, a sustainable healthcare solution to help prevent misdiagnosis, makes vitals monitoring accessible and reduce mortality rates.
Neopenda, a needs-based healthcare startup, manufactures Neoguard, a low-cost vitals monitoring device. Neoguard enables medical professionals to monitor vital signs in newborns or neonates, aiming to prevent misdiagnosis and reduce fatality rates.
Enhance Usability
How might we enhance the usability of the 4-in-1 health vitals monitoring device for unsupervised use?
Expand Target Users
How might we extend user demographics to include pediatrics and adults?
Enter New Markets
How might we transition to a B2C model, introducing Neoguard as a self-monitoring device in Ghana and Nigeria?
Following our research, we dived deep into exploring different contexts of vital monitoring - we considered various scenarios like post-treatment after a surgery or major health disease, pregnant mothers tracking their baby's vitals, initial monitoring before or for a major health disease diagnosis.
Some of the things we considered were - How would the device be used, what would be some of the contexts of usage, what the interactions between the device and the user, how would the device be procured, what are some of the larger implications for using the device?
1. Continuous Monitoring by Self
A remote, at-home vital monitoring device tailored for users, obtainable through pharmacy stores or dispensed by healthcare professionals at NGOs, hospitals or other healthcare facilties.
(click to view in detail)
2. Assisted On-spot monitoring
Vital monitoring devices distributed by mobile clinics in suburban and rural regions. These devices enable vital tracking for limited periods, ensuring timely intervention and support.
(click to view in detail)
Pharmacy stores are a key intervention point to help prevent misdiagnoses as they are the first point of contact for the majority of patients.
mPharma is a prominent pharmacy chain spanning nine African countries, including Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria, boasting a network of over 850 pharmacies. Renowned for offering innovative financing and inventory management solutions to hospitals and pharmacies, mPharma aligns seamlessly with Neopenda's mission to democratize affordable healthcare across Africa.
Once the key concepts and interactions were identified, the next step involved transforming these ideas into tangible prototypes. Utilizing readily available materials such as felt and foam sheets, we created physical representations of the proposed designs. These prototypes served as tools for testing usability and gathering feedback. We also created digital prototypes that facilitate interactions between users and the mobile application.
High-level service blueprint
Our proposed solution, Neomita, is a rent-based product and service concept in partnership with mPharma. This collaboration capitalizes on mPharma's data analytics capabilities, enabling predictive demand-supply dynamics. By integration these capabilities, Neomita extends the reach of Neopenda's healthcare monitoring product, fostering broader accessiblity and having a significant social impact.
We reimagined Neoguard to accommodate users of all ages at home, supported by a mobile app for vital monitoring and tracking. Take a look at how the service works:
"Affordable, user-friendly tools have huge potential to improve quality of healthcare services at all levels, and Neopenda is excited about the focus the ID (Institute of Design) team has placed on providing access for rural and underserved populations."
– Teresa Cauvel, CTO, Neopenda