A project developed from human factors based research into problems occuring in the use of precribed medication.
A majority of prescribed medication users in the UK are over 50 and many face cognitive, visual and physical problems when accessing their daily medication. Through research, shadowing and 'being the user' a breakdown of where precisely issues arose could be documented and then used in the redesign of a low cost solution for those with limited dexterity in their hands to access their daily medication.
Research into being the user involved fingers taped in such a way to simulate arthritis in the hands. Blister packs and childproof screw tops were tested and amongst the findings was the unexpected issue of catching the pill once the packaging had been opened; a slippery kitchen surface and limited precision gripping abilities made grabbing hold of the pill after opening extremely difficult.
After more research into the analysis of different grip types special attention was given to the precision grip which is required when opening the majority of pill packaging and yet one of the most difficult grip types to perform with limited dexterity in the hands.
A variety of shapes were tested that made use of the power grip and only one hand being needed to open the packaging, A push button mechanism was developed into a design that incorporated use of the entire hand and a catch case for the pill.
The internal workings of the final concept.
The final concept was such that a range of colours could be used on the external casing to indicate the difference in pill types, plus large and clear instructions for use could be pasted onto the side of the container, whilst a clear innner container provides a clear indication as to the amount of pills left.
