Medical Device Link.

VIEWPOINT

Kimberly-Clark’s line uses images of healthcare professionals to convey trust. (click to enlarge)

A thorough understanding of the environment in which products are stored and used is the first important step to medical package design. While conducting research for the 10,000-product design overhaul for Boston Scientific, researchers were embedded with medical practitioners around the world. Vital insight was gained from watching the experts in action, listening to how they spoke about and requested supplies, and following them everywhere from the operating room to the supply closet. Similarly for Kimberly-Clark, CBX traveled to hospitals to observe practitioner interaction with the devices.

By closely observing the products’ end-users in their own environment, CBX was able to identify the one or two pieces of vital information to communicate on a label. Ultimately, each medical package’s design has to successfully achieve one goal: convey clear, quick, and succinct information to the end-user.

In the case of Boston Scientific, brand identity was inconsistent, and packaging was overly complicated because the company was composed of many businesses and many of the products within the portfolio were the results of acquisitions. Therefore, the goal of the redesign program was two-fold: to create a strong masterbrand in order to establish the brand’s credibility and authority and to simplify the packaging. It was determined that the medical device’s name and size were the most important elements on the label. Other pieces of information may have been required by regulations, but were not critical to the immediate selection and usage process. A review of existing packaging found vital name and size information being communicated in thousands of different ways. Clearly, the need to standardize and systemize the packaging for the clarity and benefit of the end-user was paramount.

Once critical information is identified, the next question is how best to communicate it. CBX developed an easy rubric to keep in mind highlighting the three Cs in medical package design: clarity, corridor, and consistency:

Clarity. Understand what information the end-user is looking for, and clearly and boldly communicate it.

Corridor. Create a hierarchy of information, and design an information corridor, a systemized and basic approach to aligning information on the package in the form of a chart or grid.

Consistency. Once the hierarchy and information corridor is established, use it consistently. Always convey the same information in the same spot across the labels. This helps the end-user find the information needed.

At this point, the actual process of design can begin. For Boston Scientific, very large, legible, black type communicated the most important information on the top of every label. Secondary and tertiary information was placed in a less prominent position. Symbols and words were added to convey those pieces of information. When working on a multilingual label packaging assignment, such as Boston Scientific’s, globally recognized symbols play an important role in communicating the next levels in the communication hierarchy.

The Kimberly-Clark program employs information corridors to convey critical information. For example, in addition to instantly answering the question, “What is this product?” each package had to address differentiation within the category as well as size.

The Kimberly-Clark branding system presents a duotone photograph of a health professional at the top of the package closely linked with the Kimberly-Clark brandmark. This imagery, along with the brand, conveys innovation, quality, and trust. Like the Boston Scientific program, this system utilizes information corridors as areas to convey critical information. The primary or most important information was placed in a dominant orange band toward the top of the packaging. All secondary information was conveyed in words and symbols in a dark blue field at the bottom of the package. The colors chosen, a combination of blue, orange, and white, were selected because they were unique to the category and would help the products stand out.

The last, most important step in medical package design is going back to the medical community to ask questions. What do they think of this design, and does it work for them?

For Boston Scientific, focus groups were conducted with medical practitioners worldwide with the new design alternatives. Packaging changes were well received as long as significant improvements were evident and would allow them to perform their jobs quicker and easier.

Commitment to clear design goes along with the goal to create preference in a medical setting for products where there may be dozens of manufacturers represented. A truly great package design will incorporate breakthrough design in the category while also organizing key information and conveying the trust and professionalism required for the medical community.

The National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine estimates 44,000 to 98,000 Americans die each year in hospitals from preventable medical errors. Mistakes in drug dispensing and dosing are the reason for a reported half of all adverse, often dangerous, drug reactions, warns the same report. Medical missteps are, in fact, the eighth leading cause of death in the United States today, wrote Tamar Nordenberg in “Make No Mistake: Medical Errors Can Be Deadly Serious,” in the September/October 2000 issue of FDA Consumer.

With statistics like these and medical mistake coverage front and center in the news, such as actor Dennis Quaid’s newborn twins given 1000 times the intended dosage of Heparin not once but twice, the critical role clear communication plays in medical device/medical product packaging design can not be underestimated.

Rick Barrack, chief creative officer and partner, is the lead creative force at CBX and one of its founding partners. He has led major design initiatives for companies such as Johnson & Johnson, The Scotts Company, Petro-Canada, ExxonMobil, Cadbury Schweppes, and Del Monte Foods. Prior to creating CBX, Barrack was a senior design director at FutureBrand and design director at LPK. Contact Rick at rick@cbx.com.