REBEAT is a healthcare wearable focused on creating a sense of empowerment and control in relation to hypertension.
Role: User Research, Prototyping, Concept Development, Branding and Visual Design, Product Design, Project Management, Presentation Design
TEAM
Weiran Chen, Mary Warren, Jane Mitchell, and Hanyu Zhao. Created as a part of a Panasonic and Parsons collaborative studio.
REBEAT is a personal, efficient, and inclusive method for managing hypertension. It is a network consisting of a wearable device, customizable bands, a charging unit, and an application.
Appropriate treatment of hypertension can significantly minimize future cardiovascular complications and decrease the number of related deaths. There are several factors that contribute to hypertension, such as age, genetics, and inactivity. REBEAT focuses on lifestyle choices that will allow users to take back control of their health.
One common obstacle to the diagnosis of hypertension is the instantaneous increases in blood pressure in certain situations such as a visit to the doctor or during important presentations. But in the case of hypertension, it is more valuable to look at fluctuations over time. REBEAT creates a hypertension diary that paints a bigger picture of the user’s cardiovascular health by providing an opportunity for non-disruptive 24-hour blood pressure monitoring.
How it works
The device allows users to track their blood pressure for one 24-hour day. Physicians recommend this 24-hour cycle is completed once a week, followed by once a month, then every three months. During the 24-hour monitoring cycle, the user wears the detachable ring to create two points of PPG measurement.
The measurements are then synced with the user’s application, where they can visualize points of concern in relation to their blood pressure. The user’s hypertension diary can be shared with their physician.
THE WEARABLE
The wearable device is made up of two components: two points of measurement taken on the wrist and finger. When the user is actively measuring a 24-hour cycle, the ring will be worn. The modular device is broken down into these parts: a screen, hinge, circuitry, and sensors.
The wearable allows for non-disruptive 24-hour blood pressure monitoring and fits seamlessly into your style.
THE BANDS
To further adapt to your existing style, REBEAT provides various wristband options. Our initial band options include different combinations of colors and materiality, with the opportunity to expand in the future.
If the user prefers, our modular device is designed to be attachable to any existing watch, allowing our users to integrate the product without having to adopt a new wearable.
THE CHARGER
REBEAT’s re-chargeable battery utilizes induction charging. This offers the ability to effortlessly charge REBEAT. Simply set it down and go.
THE APPLICATION
The application is a hypertension diary that allows you to visualize your cardiovascular health and share your information.
It is designed as a platform for users to manage their condition in a personal, intuitive space. User’s can easily connect to their health, with an option to share their progress with family, friends, and healthcare professionals. By creating a profile that functions along side the modular device, users are able to track and visualize their blood pressure measurements, aligned with the contributing factors of physical activity and stress.
In the future, the application will provide an option to add information from other external sources, such as, an activity tracker or various web API’s.
The Design Process
Research
We began our research using broad themes and terminology. After selecting the central topic of cardiovascular health, we took inspiration from ourselves, our families, and our surroundings to discover the different manifestations of cardiovascular health. We wanted to know how lifestyle choices affect an individual’s cardiovascular health in the present and the future. We learned that 75 million individuals have hypertension nationwide and every year, on average, 410,000 people die due to hypertensive complications. Unfortunately, 46% of people with hypertension do not manage it appropriately. Our goal is to target the individuals that struggle to manage their hypertension because the appropriate treatment can significantly minimize future cardiovascular complications and decrease the number of related deaths.
Developing Rebeat
After completing our research into hypertension we began the prototyping process for the device and the application. The overarching question that framed the development of REBEAT: How do we de-medicalize and destigmatize hypertension and make it a meaningful and unobtrusive part of an individual’s everyday life?
With our user and our design questions in mind, our design requirements became:
ADAPTABILITY: create a product that seamlessly integrates into the user’s current lifestyle and wardrobe.
EMPOWERMENT: develop a sense of control over hypertension treatment.
24-HOUR MONITORING: provide 24-hour, personal monitoring. Allow patients accessibility to their own health, on their own time.
CONNECTED HEALTH: establish a support system that consists of family, friends, and the user’s physician
The application needed to be mindful of not only the consistent monitoring of a users blood pressure, but providing actionable and visible steps to lower blood pressure as well as connecting the user directly to the doctor. Out initial framework included blood pressure monitoring, environmental noise tracking, activity levels, social interaction data, health support, and health news. The added touch points confused our users during our user test. It became clear that we needed prioritize and simplify.
After discussing the causes of hypertension with experts and our potential users we focused on inactivity and stress. The final application included blood pressure monitoring, activity tracking, and connection to the users health support system.
Our solution was to integrate directly with the users existing calendar routine. The users blood pressure is overlaid with their calendar allowing them to see the correlations between their activities and spikes in their blood pressure. It also provides them with activity suggestions and ways to relax and destress. All of the users data is shared directly with their healthcare professional.
Creating the wearable
Our main question for the wearable device: can we create a device that fits seamlessly into the users day while still obtaining the two points of contact necessary for determining blood pressure? Our prototypes explored form and material while simultaneously pin-pointing the ideal location on the users body to collect data.
