Medication information leaflets are currently text-heavy and lack visuals, making them difficult to comprehend. This project's aim was to improve patient access to medication information through visual communication and create a modular leaflet template easy to use by non-designers.
The challenge of this project was to make the template as easy as possible to use for non-designers. Therefore, not only did the design need to communicate medication information effectively to patients, but also the user experience for the person using the template needed to be heavily considered. Jessica Kwong initially started this project by exploring how primarily text-based information could be better communicated more visually and in ways that made it more accessible for patients. Ashleigh Sun then worked on developing the modular leaflet template from Jessica’s explorations and Sonia Zhang, Michelle Sheng, Jacky Jones, Anya Hill and Emily Liu all collaborated to design a cohesive and comprehensive icon bank.
The templates were designed in PowerPoint to ensure the template was widely accessible for non-designers. A total of ten different options of the leaflet template were created, each with a different number of symptoms/icons pre laid out. A vertically stacked modular design was created that minimised the shifting of elements and alignment issues that might arise when non-designers use the template. The typeface used was a system font that every computer has while still being professional and having good readability. Sonia and Michelle were tasked with creating a set of icons that would allow patients to visually understand information about their medication.
These icons had to accurately depict each specific condition or symptom and be inclusive and representative of a wide range of people. Therefore, Blueby was born in response to this brief. Blueby is a gender, race, and body size neutral character who is endearing and relatable. Each icon went through several iterations based on feedback from people of various ages and backgrounds. The students pitched their work to Health Navigator in early 2022 and received a positive response. The design work is currently under negotiations and development for implementation. This is an excellent example of how design is challenging what is possible in health.
