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BRACE
Designing the future of managing chronic conditions
OVERVIEW
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BRACE is a Rheumatoid Arthritis + caregiver intervention that makes managing the chronic illness easy. This product is designed to help patients and caregivers stay on top by tracking inflammation spikes, learn about anti-inflammatory nutrition, and manage pain by CBD infused oil.
PROBLEM
Chronic condition of Rheumatoid Arthritis restricts movement and increases patient dependency due to a rise in inflammation levels of the joints
SOLUTION
Creating a patient-caregiver network that helps to manage pain and inflammation through education
This is Katie
Katie, 34, is a middle-aged Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patient. She works at a restaurant and needs to keep moving. After trying strong pain killers, struggling with disturbed sleep and anxiety over several weeks, Katie plans to give BRACE a chance. She makes her partner her caregiver. ​
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Let's see how the journey of BRACE looks for Katie and her partner/caregiver.
Solution
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Katie's caregiver keeps track of her pain levels. She can also:
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+ Adjust & customize
information
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+ Send Katie's doctor
weekly reports
BRACE
network comes with a smart tracker for Katie (patient) and mobile app for Katie's caregiver/partner.
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Connected via Bluetooth, BRACE monitors:
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+ Pain Levels
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+ Pain Management
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+ Nutrition
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Sensors track Katie's pain & inflammation by measuring:
Pulse Rate
Body Temperature
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Pain Management via CDB transdermal patch.
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Sensors activate CBD release according to the pain levels measured
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CBD Patch​
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+ Safe & effective
stick-on patch
+ Replaceable
+ Adjust dosage
+ Send report to doc
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Nutritional Tracking:
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+ Tracker helps Katie follow
an anti-inflammatory diet
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+ Prompts intake for
supplements
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+ Helps Katie's caregiver stay
in the loop to help out
System Thinking Design Process
A systemic flow diagram explaining the chronic condition of humans with RA
Setting Context
User Study
Primary Research
Katie, 34
Waitress
The pain can get excruciating..the sleepless nights and fatigue breaks the body further
Priya, 39
Mother
I can't explain to my husband what this feels like exactly. we can't stay connected that way.. I don't think he understands!
Dr. Stratos, 44
Medicine at USC
The pain needs to be managed..its chronic which means it gets worse with time. It needs utmost care from the onset
*The photos are purely representational
Diagrams explaining Katie's experience with RA, and her caregiver network
Experiencing RA
Key opportunities identified for caregiver's intervention
Ideating Katie - Caregiver network to create a smart, connected product to manage the symptoms of RA
Ideation
User Flow + Final Product
BRACE USER FLOW
User interaction is divided into three categories -
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Offline Mode: Sensors track and monitor the patient's condition and have an automated response based on the data received
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Non-Visual UI: Tracker sends prompts via vibrations or sound to remind the patient to stay on track
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Active Mode: The caregiver monitors the patient's condition and can take actionable steps
BRACE FINAL DESIGN
Reflections and Takeaways
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During the process of building this solution, I worked in close understanding with my user, patient, and RA manager - My mother. Healthcare is my passion and I feel very strongly about generating awareness around self-management methods.
Next steps would include conducting some usability testing and then by speaking to experts about the feasibility of developing this tracker.
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Lastly, here, you can see Katie resuming work and feeling better with inflammation levels controlled with the help of BRACE.
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