ROBIN VERMEULEN

i developed

a “smart packaging solution” for medical diet tracking.

year

role

2017

Structural Packaging Development, Consumer Research, Co-creation, Design Thinking

In this project, I combined two solutions. A smart packaging system that enables diet tracking for patients with inborn errors of metabolism and a co-creation approach to designing such a solution. A technology push is brought together with a human-centred approach. Throughout each stage of the project, from initial problem definition up to beta piloting the fully functional product, patients were actively involved in the development.

The empathy phase combined direct and indirect input. Patients were interviewed about their needs, but they filled in diaries at home as well, describing their daily routine with their medical nutrition intake.

Based on the gathered insights, the patient journey was defined. Based on three levels: daily routine, life stage specific needs and lifetime needs. Six themes of needs were derived.


In six co-creation sessions with patients, each theme was treated. Two visual thinkers, me as facilitator and five patients per session went through the steps of brain writing, structuring of theme associations, the introduction of a use scenario that was predefined based on the patient journey and a design challenge. The result was a wealth co-created solution directions.


I coupled the solution directions with technical solutions. A preferred route was chosen based on viability and feasibility and developed into a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

The MVP was tested in qualitative sessions with a couple of patients to get a first validation of the solution. Improvement points were taken into account in the next step, in which a fully functional product was developed.


The exact details of the final solution is currently confidential. What I can tell is that the solution combines a smart packaging that connects with a smartphone application to enable automated diet and health tracking.

The fully functional product is tested in a beta pilot. For a full month, 20 patients used the complete system. Based on the pilot, a final assessment of the desirability, feasibility and viability could be made.

© 2020, Robin Vermeulen. Designed and coded with Macaw