The problem
People with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia syndrome (POTS) live with very few treatment and management options. POTS syndrome is an abnormal response of your body when you are upright (standing). It is caused by a problem with the nervous system which controls the autonomic functions in the body. This part of the nervous system is called the autonomic nervous system.
The symptoms of PoTS occur when you are upright and are usually relieved when lying down. These symptoms are associated with an abnormally high and persistent increase in heart rate within ten minutes of standing. This can cause dizziness, and fainting as two of the most frequent symptoms.
My solution
The introduction of a comprehensive healthcare aid, specifically designed for people with POTS. This consists of a specifically made chest band monitor, "PoH24" and an app "PotsPals". The product prototypes were coded using Arduino software and tested on people with and without POTS diagnosis. Proving to be significantly beneficial to the health monitoring of POTS patients.
Wireless charging for the monitor makes the product more accessible, often people with POTS also have a secondary condition ... many of which are joint conditions and so the users may have low dexterity.
The monitor fits comfortably around the chest, with many varieties in style and size adjustability. Inside the monitor are gyroscopes to measure the postural movements and a heart rate sensor to monitor heart rate, together these offer accurate 24hr results for the user. All connected via blue-tooth to the app.
The onboarding process helps to tailor the experience to each individual user. The PotsPals app allows the users to access their data recorded by the PoH24 device.
When loading the logo animates with the heart beating between the two hands. Then it prompts the user to continue, with different sign up options available to help improve ease of access.
Key questions are asked during the onboarding process to allow the app to cater to the individuals needs, one key question being if the user already has a POTS diagnosis. This helps to create the correct profile and also gather data correctly based upon the users status.
In order to make this more interactive, the user swipes the answers rather than checking a box to improve user engagement. To ensure that the product is set up correctly and for optimal readings a combination of videos and animations are used to demonstrate correct set up.
Results and trends are visible through the app too. This makes it really easy for the person to manage their health, giving them more autonomy over their health management. The chart shown here indicates the persons daily movements in terms of posture and heart rate and shows the correlation between the two.
The trends function provides users with an easier understanding of what is improving and supporting their health. For example here, they can see that their average daily salt intake for the past 2 weeks has been 7grams, if they look back to the previous 2 weeks and it was 4 grams and their symptoms were worse, this could indicate that increased salt improved their symptoms. All of this is easy to share through one tap, with friends, carers or healthcare providers.
Alerts are a key feature and USP of the app, people with POTS are often at risk of fainting and so this feature significantly improves their safety. This works in a series of steps to avoid false activations.
Alerts are a key part of this product. After a persons heart rate has hit their declared threshold/ their postural movement rapidly moves to their set degree (180*) for more than 10 seconds the monitor starts buzzing. This prompts a series of reactions from the app. 1. An alarm sounds with a visual prompt to cancel. 2. If this prompt on the phone is missed the alarm gets louder. 3. If no response is given messages are sent out to emergency contacts. 4. If after 10 minutes there is still no response or an on screen alert is activated and emergency services are contacted. All previous alerts can be viewed in chronological order through the app as well as details from emergency calls.
Support groups, blogs and advice pages are all visible through a community tab in the app. It can be really hard for people with POTS to find support groups near them, especially with people who have common interests - this app pairs you up with people within a similar target group.
Often amougnst the chronic illness community “spoon theory” is used to describe energy budgets. People with POTS often have a lot less energy available to use in the day compared to the majority of the population. Therefore I used this as a representation of energy to help a person budget their energy levels for the day.
This means that everyday the user is given a spoons budget, this has been made based upon their sleep record, flare ups and notes from the day before, if they took their meds etc. (all data recorded in the app). In a few fitness apps there are similar features alike this called readiness scores - but these are set with the intention of exercising harder on days with a high score. Whereas this app will focus on learning how to budget energy and pace yourself better.
Often people with POTS may be juggling multiple medications or therapies to do a day. The app sends reminders to you daily to ensure that you do not forget. The user can also set reminders to renew prescriptions and take notes of how medications have improved their symptoms (or not).
POTS is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system. There is some evidence to suggest that nervous system regulation such as meditation, breathwork, EFT tapping and more can help with symptoms of POTS. This is not a cure, but by understanding these methods it can provide a toolkit for users to try out and potentially see benefits from. The app links to guides for a series of these methods of nervous system regulation to work as a holistic view of POTS management.
Packaging mock up ^
Key Skills evidenced
Adobe Photoshop - Adobe Illustrator - Adobe In design - Arduino (basic coding) - Prototyping using robotics and 3D printing - App design - User centered research strategy - Project management.