Actigraph: Centrepoint insight watch
Actigraph’s medical-grade activity trackers are used for clinical research. Researchers lend them to patients to wear every day, then analyze the data collected to determine the effects of new treatments. Their biggest problem: compliance. If a patient isn’t wearing the tracker, there’s a gap in research data. To maximize uptime, we gave it a 30-day battery and made it look more like a consumer smartwatch, so users would actually want to wear it. We also shipped it with a quick-release strap, so users can easily customize with their own band. Actigraph is expecting a major uptick in compliance with the new design.
Project completed at Optimal Design.
The researchers need people to wear the device.
Above all else, researchers want their subjects to wear the tracker for as much time as possible, so we needed to design something people would actually want to wear. We also incorporated a 30-day battery to minimize charging frequency, and waterproof (IP68) housing so it can be worn in the shower.
But the wearer could be anyone.
Research participants could be any age or gender, any lifestyle or mindset. How do you design something that appeals to such diverse styles?
It should be customizable…
Early on, we decided to incorporate a quick-release watch band, so the end user can swap it out for their favorite 18mm band.
…and the design should be friendly, yet refined.
Subtle, pillowed surfaces. Crisp edges. Satin finish. Black. We found these traits strike a balance between masculine and feminine, between minimalist and expressive.
Credits
Mile Nikolic: mechanical engineering, DFM