BACKGROUND
"Addressing the Needs of Regular Injection Users"
Injection pens are critical for daily medications like insulin, yet usability issues lead to frequent errors—averaging 3.35 deviations per injection for fixed-dose pens and 232 errors across auto-injectors. This underscores the need for improved designs to enhance usability and minimize errors for users who has regular usage.
88
%
participants successfully operate at the first-time
86
%
participants responded positively to the new design
96
%
participants found new design operates better overall
3x
clearer navigation instructions
Product Roadmap
early research
"Unclear and complex operations and the lack of an integrated monitoring system"
Initial observations and task-based interviews with caregivers, children, and medical specialists uncovered significant challenges with existing devices. These included unclear and complex operations and the lack of an integrated monitoring system. An integrated system was identified as a critical need, offering clear and precise dosage information to support both caregivers and specialists effectively.
child
“I only need assistance when it comes to refilling the cartridge.”
child
“The first few injections were still intimidating”
caregiver
“difficult to press the injection button when helping my child with the injection.”
caregiver
“I will check the remaining dose to see if my daughter has completed her injection for the day.”
caregiver
“it becomes confusing when the remaining cartridge doesn’t have enough for a full dose.”
caregiver
“It took us a while to memorize all the steps when we first got the device”
"Detailed user journey analysis offered clarity for exploring tangible and digital solutions"
To uncover problems and identify design opportunities, I meticulously broke down each step users take to complete core tasks. This detailed analysis offered clarity for the team to explore solutions. The process was categorized into four stages, with the intricate cartridge refilling process isolated for a deeper dive.
strategies
Seamless transition to future generations
Making it easier for current users to
transition with minimal learning curve
The next-generation autoinjector aims to enhance usability by improving the existing model, making it easier for current users to transition with minimal learning curve. Additionally, it seeks to expand functionality by introducing new features that enrich the user experience, ultimately creating a comprehensive ecosystem with a sharable database.
Increase Successful Injection Rate
Reducing barriers for new and occasional users.
Increase the first-time successful injection rate by streamlining the learning process with user-friendly designs and clear instructions, reducing barriers for new and occasional users.
Building Product Roadmap
Develop a clear roadmap balancing
production costs, budget, and development time.
This roadmap outlines future product visions, addressing market demands while ensuring a steady and feasible progression of development.
Design
New generation
Following best practices while maintaining a similar operation to the previous model
Minimum Number of Parts
Integrating features like a hidden needle slider and a quick-release cartridge reduced the number of small removable parts
Clearer Information
Larger color display has been integrated to offer detailed, step-by-step instructions, ensuring users can follow along easily and avoid missing any steps.
Interface
System Map
The new system enriches the original experience while maintaining familiarity with users’ current practices to ensure ease of adoption
Step-by-Step Animated Instructions
Featured step-by-step animated instructions paired with text, guiding users seamlessly from preparation to injection
Usability Test
"Satisfaction Achieved, Sterilization Clarity, and Ergonomic Opportunities"
The results revealed that the new features met user needs, with nearly all participants expressing satisfaction with the design. However, 30% of participants skipped 1-2 sterilization steps, indicating the need for clearer sterilization instructions. Additionally, the increased volume from added features posed challenges for Chinese child participants, highlighting an opportunity to improve ergonomics in the next phase, such as optimizing unit weight.
Observe simulated operations and task-based interviews. Mechanical prototype and a UI prototype were used to replicate real-world scenarios. Participants were guided by a short instructional video and completed tasks while their interactions and feedback were observed.
The objective was to collect user feedback, observe interactions with the design, and identify potential differences influenced by cultural backgrounds. The study aimed to evaluate usability and emotional responses, ensuring the design aligns with the needs.
conclusion
My involvement in this project concluded at this stage. In this case study, I used new UX+ design methodologies based on insights from online resources to identify experience issues. By recreating journey maps, I pinpointed areas for improvement and refined the design concept to directly address these challenges.
Additionally, by developing detailed system maps, I designed a new animated interface that delivers clearer, more intuitive instructions for users, effectively reducing uncertainties and enhancing overall user confidence.
