Duration
8 weeks
Team
Mingru Qi
Haoran You
Yaxin Ran
My Role
User Research
UI Design
UX Design
Tools
Figma
C4D
Illustrator
Photoshop
Design Brief
Flex is a product that helps family members of ALS patients to take better care of the patients
Two Main Features
Muscles & Fascia Detection and Massage Tutorials Recommendation
Family members caring for an ALS patient can follow the recommended tutorials to massage and soothe the patient's muscles to help alleviate their pain.
ALS Synchronize with the patient's other equipment
Like an oximeter and ventilator so that family members can monitor medical facility status together.
Background
It's a neurodegenerative disease that causes muscle atrophy and weakness
This is a progressive neurodegenerative disease causing muscle atrophy and weakness, leading to paralysis.
ALS prevalence rising year by year
ALS is considered rare by the American CDC, with 4 to 6 cases per 100,000 people. However, a study predicts a 69% increase globally, from 222,801 cases in 2015 to 376,674 in 2040. Projected increase in the number of individuals with ALS from 2015 to 2040
Almost all ALS patients experience pain all over their body
Possibility of pain in ALS patients
42.5%
patient had mild pain
16.7%
patient had moderate pain
24.8%
Patient had severe pain
Market Research
How do family members learn and take care of ALS patients?
1
Learn Knowledge from Website
Purpose: To acquire knowledge related to ALS patient caregiving
Advantage: abundant self-learning materials
Weaknesses: not professional and accurate / making mistakes
2
Send Patients to Hospital / Nursing Home
Purpose: To hire someone to help with care
Advantage: professional and experienced
Weaknesses: Costly / Lonely / Not comfortable as home
3
Get Support from Public organizations / Foundations
Purpose: To gain knowledge related to caregiving, resource support
Advantages: low-cost access to equipment, better care guidance for patients' conditions
Weaknesses: Cannot provide long-term support to patients
Interview with Stakeholders
Let’s see what stakeholders are saying
ideas and thoughts
Insights
Design Rational
ALS patients experience muscle tension, muscle spasms, and muscle pain
These muscular problems not only cause pain all over the body but also make it difficult for them to sleep or eat. They can also aggravate their condition.
Ultrasound imaging can examine muscle tissue structure and blood flow, aiding in the detection of issues like painful muscle inflammation.
Muscle assessment -> can assess muscle atrophy and help the caregiver better determine which muscles need precise care.
Joint assessment -> can assess troubled joint areas and watch them closely to prevent sticking or find potential problem spots
Blood assessment -> watch blood supply and see where warmth is needed
Concept
Design Concept
Ultrasound Detectors
Perform muscle, joint, and blood assessments using ultrasound detectors to understand patient's condition to provide more targeted physical therapy methods recommendations for patients
Muscle Data Analysis
After scanning, the scanned muscles are analyzed and graphically displayed so that the patient can fully understand his/her muscle status.
Recommendation of training and massage Tutorials based on data
Families and patients can follow tutorials for targeted massage or rehabilitation exercises
Connecting other medical devices
To improve patient care and relieve family members from constant presence, additional medical equipment like oxygen concentrators, respirators, and oximeters can be connected. This allows family members to monitor these devices using their smartphones without being constantly present.
User operate flow
Service Flow
Final Design
Product
APP
United States EST
Last updated at Oct 15, 2024