Designing for All: Nova's Vision for Inclusive Healthcare

Nova embraces the Design for All principle in crafting both physical and digital interfaces for healthcare clients. Our inclusive approach, known as Universal Design, aims to ensure that our solutions cater to the widest possible audience. Universal Design revolves around creating products that are accessible and easy to use for individuals with or without physical or cognitive impairments. Every aspect is meticulously considered to promote usability and inclusivity, fostering an environment where everyone can engage with our products seamlessly.

“Universal design is design that’s usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.” –Ron Mace (an architect with polio who coined the term in the 1980s)

Often, when medical devices are designed, functionality, accuracy, and technology take precedence over what will work best for the user. As a result, the user might have to adapt how they interact or make compromises. These compromises negatively impact the user experience, creating frustration and dissatisfaction. However, compromises are not necessary when the Universal Design approach is used during the design and engineering phases. When it comes to healthcare product design, employing this approach can lead to better health outcomes.

Nova faced the challenge of designing a wearable heart monitor that would cater to the needs of both men and women. Recognizing the shortcomings of existing heart monitors, we were determined to raise the bar. This new heart monitor, prescribed by doctors and worn by patients over extended periods, plays a crucial role in assessing and diagnosing critical heart-related conditions.

Understanding the necessity for the monitor to be comfortably worn by individuals of all genders for prolonged durations to accurately capture data, we embraced the Universal Design approach in our design process.

Existing heart monitors struggled to capture accurate long-term readings from women due to a fundamental oversight: they didn't account for the unique anatomy of women. The optimal location for heart monitor sensors on the chest wasn't adequately considered in existing solutions, neglecting factors such as breast size and location in relation to sensor placement. Consequently, these monitors failed to deliver precise readings.

Commonly, existing heart monitors employ either adhesive patches directly attached to the skin or elastic straps encircling the torso or chest to secure the sensors. However, adhesive monitors often lacked sufficient adhesion, leading to frequent detachment or skin irritation. Meanwhile, monitors with elastic straps tended to position sensors too low on a woman's chest, resulting in inaccurate readings.

Utilizing the Universal Design approach, the Nova team embarked on a mission to create a heart monitor that prioritized ease and comfort of wear, ensuring gender inclusivity by accommodating a diverse range of body types and sizes for both men and women. By designing a solution that caters to all users, compromises were eliminated.

As our initial step, we gathered data on chest dimensions and sizes for both men and women. Armed with this information, we crafted prototypes that underwent rigorous testing by a diverse array of users. Following invaluable feedback from user testing, we meticulously refined the design.

To achieve optimal sensor placement, we ingeniously miniaturized the electronics and devised a groundbreaking "L" shaped design. This innovation allows for precise and comfortable placement of sensors on a woman's chest, accommodating variations in anatomy both below and between the breasts. By eliminating external electrodes, we granted female users the freedom to wear undergarments easily and ensured all users could move unrestrictedly, with the assurance that their clinician would receive the vital data necessary for informed heart health decisions.

Embracing the principles of Design for All and the Universal Design approach, we engineered a heart monitor that not only boasts accuracy and comfort but also furnishes clinicians with the critical data required to successfully diagnose and monitor all patients. At Nova, our ethos revolves around Design for All – a commitment to championing the needs of those often overlooked. By prioritizing the consideration and amplification of users' physical, emotional, and cognitive abilities, we consistently deliver exceptional experiences for every user. Moving forward, we pledge to imbue our work and decision-making with the principles of Design for All, ensuring that the future is thoughtfully crafted to encompass everyone.