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Product sensestandard
Design a product to help elderly people manage their medications.
How to approach it
Ask who the real users are. Often there are two: the older adult taking the pills and a family member or caregiver who worries.
How a strong answer opens
“I think there are two users here: the older adult taking the pills and a family member who worries from a distance. I'll design for both, starting with someone at home who takes four or more medications.”
Outline of a strong answer
Try answering out loud for a few minutes before you open this.
- Clarify scope: home or care facility, level of tech comfort, number of medications
- Name both users: the patient and the caregiver
- Find pain points: missed doses, double doses, confusing refills, poor eyesight
- Generate solutions: smart pill box, simple reminders, caregiver alerts, pharmacy sync
- Prioritize a simple device plus caregiver alerts and explain the trade-offs
- Measure dose adherence and caregiver peace of mind, with a guardrail on false alarms
Where this question usually goes wrong
Designing only for a tech-savvy patient and ignoring the caregiver, poor eyesight, or the danger of a reminder that leads to a double dose.
Learn the method
Worked answers 1 to 4 in Module 1, Product sense and design.
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