Solo Project
12 Weeks
*Project limited to virtual due to Covid
Identify and research a market area and its consumers in order to create a disruptive and innovative solution.
A smart medicine storage device offering solutions to caregivers and care recipients in a board and care home.
Board and care homes offer limited medical care on a more intimate scale with less than 10 residents. They are typically in a re-purposed house.
I talked with a nurse working in a board and care home, who showed me her work environment and medicine issues for both the workers and the care recipients. In accordance with HIPAA, I cannot share any names or photos. This case study drove most of my work.
Medicine storage at board and care homes is unsafe because of:
- Faulty locks
- Lazy staff
- No compartmentalization
- Poor ergonomics
Current cabinet locking mechanism. Lock doesn't stay on and if it does, lazy workers leave the whole cabinet unlocked.
Compared to other brands in the market, Electrolux is one of the few companies that provides professional kitchen appliances.
Electrolux claims to be the only brand in the market that provides a complete range of professional kitchen appliances. Therefore, the brand tends to be more professional.
Solution must have a feature that automatically locks the storage every time it is closed.
Solution groups medications in a more digestible and organized way.
Most board and care homes are regular houses outfitted for special use. Solution must fit in standard cabinets.
Accessing the medications must be a simpler process, while retaining their security. Using the product to pass medicine must also prove easier to care providers.
Existing products are limited to either a unique locking feature or very basic storage. Some products use RFID tags or fingerprint locks for security, while other add shelving. None of them have a holistic solution to address organization and security of medication.
I began by laying out some features and forms I found interesting.
This product is a medical device, but it will primarily be found in the home. I collected forms and colors from contemporary furniture and from cutting edge medical technology to be inspiration to me in my form exploration.
Once I had a basic shape and some inspiration to draw from, I explored a range of shapes and external features for the storage device. The most compelling ones I developed further.
Minimal order of operation and requires, at most, 3 inputs.
Smartmeds Secure is a stackable, smart storage ecosystem for medicine. It offers higher security, while at the same time, more accessibility. It has the potential to greatly improve caretakers' workload and to make medicine passes more efficient.
Menu options are available from a touchscreen, angled upwards to still be visible on lower shelves. Each unit has a single, self-closing drawer and auto-lock, which ensures maximum security. Each drawer has four containers fitted with ergonomic tabs and chip sensors to communicate with the system whether or not they are present.
Each of the containers are clear so that caregivers can more quickly find the meds they need. Caregivers can designate each container for specific medicines from the touchscreen.
Displays alert when a med pass is scheduled.
Unlock with RFIDÂ tag.
Drawer unlocks.
Caregiver removes containers.
Screen shows missing containers.
Caregiver goes to table to remove and administer meds.
Drawers close and auto-lock.
Caregiver unlocks again to put containers back.
Caregiver returns containers and closes.
The home screen lists medications stored in each individual unit, as well as the next med pass scheduled. The calendar view displays all scheduled med passes and can be synchronized from the iPad app (theoretical).
