Final presentation of theoretical Alzheimer's medication adherence system, designed at Tufts University by Conor Ward, Emily Eickhoff, Alex Pugnali, Chris Shultz, and Rachel Terveer.

1. The Compass LifeWatch
A Medical Device for the
Elderly Living with Alzheimer’s
Emily Eickhoff, Alex Pugnali, Chris Shultz,
Rachel Terveer, Conor Ward
ENP 161 - Team C

2. Cambridge Consultants RFP
Cambridge Consultants is seeking a partner to:
1. Conduct research on the tensions between elderly users
and current internet-enabled devices and applications.
1. Identify aspects of user interfaces that appeal to
elderly consumers.
1. Identify application features that will encourage the
elderly with chronic health conditions to use health
monitoring applications on their personal devices.
1. Synthesize these findings by developing a health
monitoring system.

3. Internet-enabled devices (tablets,
smartphones, laptops, etc.) are becoming
increasingly common and have promising
applications in health monitoring.
http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2012/01/31/iphone-medical-apps.jpeg
● Assuming R&D can close the gap between
elderly people managing diseases and their
internet-enabled devices, this demographic
represents an immense market, as elders
typically consume the most health care
services.
Technology & HealthCare

4. Technology Barrier
The elderly population exhibits
resistance in adapting to the changing
technology
Physical design aspects are difficult
for older users to operate
Elderly users have small knowledge
base and comfort when using
internet-enabled devices.
Frequently harbor greater distrust of
these devices and their
applications.

5. System Requirements
1. Medication administration device
1. Accompanying interface for internet-enabled
devices
To remind users to take their medication
To provide users information relevant to their
treatment (e.g., dose history, adherence
statistics)

6. Problem State
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)
AD causes gradual cognitive
deterioration, resulting in
increased agitation, memory loss,
anxiety, stress, confusion, etc.
Medication adherence
Memory loss causes AD patients
to forget to take their
medication.
Organizational habits
Memory loss causes AD patients
to misplace their belongings. http://rewireyourbrainforlove.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/MemoryLoss_Senior_female.jpg

7. Potential User Needs
Medication Reminders
Appointment/Schedule
Reminders
Medication Delivery
Assistance
GPS Tracking Device
http://www.imedicalapps.com/2014/09/apple-watch-diabetes-care/

8. Market Analysis
http://misfit.com/products/shine?locale=en

9. Market Analysis
Comfort Zone Automatic Pill Dispenser

10. User Needs Analysis

11. Participants
We interviewed people whom we personally
know, all of whom were 60+ years old
Paula - experience caring for elderly
people dealing with cognitive impairment
and memory loss
Bob - Director of Community Outreach at
Right at Home Boston Metro West,
experience working with dementia and
Alzheimer’s patients and their
caregivers
Laura - Current hospice nurse, significant experience in caregiving field
Cora - Retired nurse at a nursing home, significant experience in
caregiving field
Gary and Janet - director of rowing at Tufts University, Sports Medicine
trainer - both have experiences with caring for elderly parents in
physical and cognitive decline

12. Patient Results
General Requirements:
Gender neutral accessory
Low Price
Sensitive to Privacy (no loud alerts)
Confirmation/validation screens to avoid “Fear
Factor”
Hardware Requirements:
MUST NOT BE: cumbersome, obtrusive
MUST BE: simple, lightweight, fashionable,
durable
Software Requirements:
MUST BE/HAVE: simple, high contrast, large
font, easy to navigate, low info density,
intuitive steps (fewer = better), common
terminology

13. Caregiver Results
Our system must:
Provide medication reminders
Provide information on the patient’s
biotelemetry (heart rate, blood pressure,
etc.)
Have a simple design
Prioritize caregivers’ needs
Many patients will be unable to use our
system independently
Average caretaker age is 40-60 years
Administer all of the patient’s medications
Many patients take supplemental meds to
mitigate the side effects of their
Alzheimer’s meds
Warn patients/caregivers to avoid substances and
situations that might trigger adverse
responses to medications.
Provide transparency of treatment

14. Concept Generation

15. Hardware
Must contain and deliver
pills
Must be housing for
software
Should be small and
lightweight
Should be fashionable
Should be sturdy/robust

16. Watch Face
Four essential components:
1. typeface (or font)
2. color scheme
3. type of information (textual vs. graphical)
4. type of clock face (digital vs. analog)

17. Caregiver Software

18. Task Analysis and Risk Assessment

19. Prototypes

20. Hardware Prototype

21. Watch Face Prototype

22. Watch Face Prototype

23. Watch Face Prototype

24. Watch Face Prototype

25. Watch Face Prototype

26. Caregiver Software Prototype

27. Usability Testing

28. Hardware Participants
5 participants from independent
living section of Brookhaven
Assisted Living Center
All participants interacted with
technology daily - laptop or
iPad and a smartphone regularly
Tested the size of the watch face, the material of the
watch band, the font/color/size/icons associated with
the interface of the watch face
Overall findings - general agreement with few differing
opinions

29. Hardware Interface
Preferred features:
● Smallest, lightest watch face possible (depending on
meds)
● Black sans-serif text on a white background
● Medium/high screen brightness (based on the iPhone
settings)
● Alerts - vibration (SOS) preferred (short intense
vibrations followed by longer vibrations)
● Combination of textual and graphical information
● Digital watch face with date
● Right-handed vs. left-handed users → we decided to only
design this watch to be worn on a person’s left wrist

30. Caregiver Participants
5 participants
All currently undergraduates at Tufts University, between
20-22 years of age
Advantages:
i. all have extensive experience with modern mobile
technologies
ii.all have the potential of becoming caregivers in the
future.
Disadvantages:
i. may not represent current caregiver population

31. Caregiver Software
Findings
Home screen was not helpful to all caregivers, only medical
professionals
could incorporate access to other relevant healthcare
professionals
Participants were able to navigate the software effectively
and efficiently
the only exception was the Validation pop-up, which some
participants expected to be accessible within the
“Prescriptions” tab
Participants affirmed that a push notification to the
caregiver’s internet-enabled device would be an effective
means of reminding them that medication was due

32. Redesigns

33. Hardware Redesign

34. Hardware Redesign

35. Hardware Redesign

36. Software Redesign
General Findings
font, color scheme,
and sizing liked
easy Emergency
access button
remove “vintage”
tagline

37. Software Redesign
Vitals:
change blinking
light color
improve beats/min
trend graph
show deviation
from normal heart
rate

38. Software Redesign
Prescriptions:
incorporate pill image in list
include instructions to click a medication

39. Software Redesign
Location:
Label red icon
Include quick access
directions to the
patient
fastest route from
the caregiver to
the patient
Calendar:
Pop-up reminder about
upcoming event
push notification to
phone
Increase contrast ratio
of text and background
color

40. Future Directions and Limitations
Future
Functional final prototype
Additional design iterations
Another usability test with more
participants
Additional client meetings
Greater implementation of usability
results - more time
Limitations
Obtaining user needs participants
Diagnosing difficulties of Alzheimer’s
Disease (denial)
Validating medication delivery
Determining ratio of watch face & wrist
size to pill size and number

41. Conclusion
The LifeWatch Solution
Peace of mind for caregivers with
telemetry options
Reliable, robust, and intuitive system
Medication reminders
Medication administration
Maintain quality of life
& independence

42. Modern Technology with a Vintage Feel

43. Questions