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Healthcare Solutions
The Healthy Exchange program uses mobile technology to connect and inform patients and empower them to take charge of their health.
Healthcare
Mobile
MY ROLE
Member of core strategic team and provided overall art direction.
Instructions
Easy
These Instructions for Use (IFU) are an integral part of supplying emergency medication to those experiencing a severe hypoglycemic event.
MY ROLE
Led the creative strategy and design.
A suite of health literacy training products used to help develop clear health communications for people with low health literacy skills.
Design®
Clear by
MY ROLE
Leader of cross-functional team and provided the creative and strategic vision.
Journeys
Patient
This unique research approach uncovers stakeholder challenges throughout the disease/brand experience in order to identify areas for positive behavior change.
MY ROLE
Lead designer and sole creative strategist for these types of projects.
This self-injection demo tool helps patients gain the confidence and skills needed in order to fit this Type 2 diabetes therapy into their daily lives.
by Doing
Learning
MY ROLE
Lead creative director and provided strategic vision during development of this product.
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Making health information understandable . . . and actionable
With an estimated 32 million Americans entering the health care system under the Affordable Care Act, it is essential that health care materials are easily understood and accessible. Clear by Design® is a suite of health literacy training products used to help develop clear health communications for both print and digital materials. To learn more, read the case study.
For this initiative, I led a cross-functional team, provided the creative and strategic vision, and helped launch the program in 2004. I also conduct health literacy training seminars around the US.
The Clear by Design® mobile app helps anyone assess the health literacy level of existing materials.
Clear by Design® is a health literacy training workshop “in a box” for print and digital materials.
Clear by Design® slide presentation for Print materials includes health literacy principles, guidelines, and real-life examples.
The Print workshop has handouts, surveys, action plans, certificates and trainer guidance.
Clear by Design® slide presentation for Digital materials includes interesting statistics, videos, and interactive examples.
The Digital workshop includes handouts, as well as guidance on creating and implementing dynamic breakout sessions.
Providing health education to underserved communities
The Healthy Exchange program, using the Verizon network, cloud, and mobile services, promises to tackle some of the largest health challenges we face with patient access to community, education, and support. It relies on the donation of smart phones that are refurbished with relevant health apps and local resources uses mobile technology to connect and inform patients and empower them to take charge of their health. To learn more, read the case study.
I was part of the core strategic team and provided overall art direction. Out of 1,400 entries, the program was a Top 10 finalist in the health care category in the Verizon Powerful Answers Awards Contest.
Through mobile technology, The Healthy Exchange program provides patient access to community, education and support.
Once phones are personalized, recipients can learn about their treatment, keep track of health needs and access local services.
The smart phone could track asthma attacks, for example, helping physicians to understand the patient, environment and triggers.
This video explains the Healthy Exchange program in detail and served as part of the entry submission. Click the image to view.
The Patient Journey: The process
and research behind the path
Visually mapping out a patient's journey
from diagnosis to long-term medication compliance can help uncover truths within the health care experience that bring about new sources of treatment innovation for both patients and professionals alike. Research from literature reviews, social media mining, stakeholder interviews, insight circles, ethnographies, and other sources provide
the foundation and emotions that helps
bring the patient journey to life. To learn more, read the case study.
For these types of projects, I have been the lead designer and sole creative strategist.
This patient journey focused on stakeholder interactions and their conversations. Click the image to access the final version.
Analogies and metaphors can bring an emotional journey to life. This example, for Alzheimer’s disease, uses water and sea elements.
Hemophilia is a life-long disease. This journey shows stakeholders, institutions, and how the child learns to treat themselves.
Once developed, the patient journey can take on many forms. Click the image to view an excerpt of the journey video.
Bringing the patient journey to life can help users understand areas
of opportunity throughout the treatment experience.
Instilling confidence and control
during an emergency situation
The Patient Instructions for Use (IFU) is
often the initial touch-point of education about a new device for patients, their caregivers, and health care professionals.
For a drug that treats severe hypoglycemia during emergency situations, it is equally as important to defuse the anxiety related to the use of an emergency kit. To help alleviate this type of situation, the IFU was placed on the actual device and serves to assure the caregiver that using it is a simple process.
I have led the creative development of more than 15 IFUs to date and have attended numerous User Studies where my strategic partnership has helped to ensure a successful FDA approval process.
The IFU was placed on the device, housing tube and insert to enable quick and safe use of this emergency medication.
The full IFU is a legal document and contains required information
in order to submit a drug for FDA approval.
Emergency medication is dispensed through the use of an auto injector so that quick delivery of the drug is achieved.
Figural tube caps and stickers were proposed to help dispel the anxiety and fear for children, as well as a talking speaker cap.
The Bydureon® Demo kit (with reusable parts) is an exact replica of the single-dose unit that patients receive from the pharmacy.
The kit includes mock injection components, the Patient Instructions for Use (PIU), and an implementation guide.
A detachable PIU allows health care providers the ability to focus on the step-by-step process separate from the kit.
A training video was created to teach users how to prepare the medicine for administration. Click the image to view the video.
Several demo kit concepts were rendered for research stimuli and included a version with an interactive touchscreen.
Helping patients with Type 2 diabetes gain new confidence and skills
The Bydureon® Demo kit is a teaching tool that helps health care providers and patients master the skills of the medicine's dose preparation and administration. Since it is a multi-component system, it is essential that injection-naïve patients receive the support, education, and self-confidence they need in order to fit this Type 2 diabetes therapy into their daily lives.
I was the lead creative director and provided strategic vision throughout the development process for this product. As an educational and instructional design expert, I apply behavioral models of learning to my work in order to develop successful health care products for patients.
© Kenneth Thorlton Design 2015. All rights reserved. Products, company names, and logos mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners. All work contained herein, whether conceptual or real, is the intellectual property of Kenneth Thorlton Design.