Towards patient‐centered packaging design: An industry perspective on processes, functions, and constraints

Abstract

Medication packaging is essential to provide patients with guidance and correct use of their medicines for effective treatment. This research aims to increase knowledge about the medication packaging innovation process and its uptake towards patient‐centered packaging design. The study applied a qualitative research approach based on data from 25 in‐depth interviews with stakeholders involved in medication packaging design. The empirical data analysis revealed four themes that can improve and advance user‐centered packaging design: medication packaging innovation process, medication packaging functions and features, medication packaging design constraints, and patient‐centered medication packaging design. The findings suggest that medication packaging design is strongly affected by an emphasis on protective and safety packaging functions rather than on patients' needs. Packaging innovation usually is constrained by rigid incremental development processes, where compliance with regulations, extensive documentation, avoidance of manufacturing complexity, and considerations on cost prevail. These findings are discussed in relation to the three most evident trade‐offs for patient‐centered design: protection versus openability, utility versus cost, and complexity of manufacturability versus complexity of use. This research contributes with valuable input and additional evidence about the necessary shift to a user‐centered approach in a field that has not been design driven. This input complements previous research and provides an opportunity for industry decision makers and policy makers to lead patient‐centered packaging design that can benefit patients and relieve overloaded health care systems.

Smart Interactive Packaging as a Cyber-Physical Agent in the Interaction Design Theory: A Novel User Interface

“…Generally, product packaging can be perceived as: "a socio-scientific discipline which operates in society to ensure the delivery of goods to the ultimate consumer" [5]. It is also defined as a combination of product, package, and distribution which is intended to provide protection, convenience, containment, and communication functions [4] [10].…”

“…With the increasing use of the Internet, home and leisure computing, and digital interactive consumer products, the two disciplines of engineering and design merged due to a common goal to amplify discretionary use and user experience [13]. The perspective of the user and the context of use went beyond the traditional computer and mechanical systems and started to penetrate into products and environments people interact with in daily life [5]. Consequently, the user-centered design has broadened to other cultures that gave new opportunities for consumer industry and brand owners.…”

“…Reference [14] concurs and states that interaction design has been aroused by increasing industry's demand for intuitive, effortless and enjoyable computing systems. User-centered design is intended to transfer user needs into products specifications to ensure the satisfaction aspect [5]. In general, interaction design combines elements of HCI and user experience design to build overall essence and structure of interactive systems that support and facilitate user's goals for helpful and engaging product interfaces [1] [14].…”

“…The design of digitally-enhanced packaging, as a digital interactive system, has to follow the principles of interaction design, if the functional and pleasing user experience is the main goal to accomplish [5]. There are four critical elements for enhanced packaging design that is based on principles of user-centered design, consumer experience, HCI, and usability theory presented by [15]: consumer, task, package and context.…”

“…The communication between the user and packaging occurs in every step of the supply chain, including producer, distributor, retailer and end consumer [4]. The current research of human-packaging interaction [5] [6], also called as user-packaging interaction [4] or consumer-packaging interaction [3], works on either human factors and ergonomics related to the handling and usability of packaging and utilization of the packed product [6], or marketing and branding concerns associated with the visual appearance of the packaging [4] in terms of physical packaging attributes as color, shape, material or typography. However, the emerging infrastructure of cyber-physical systems due to advanced wireless communication devices and IoT opens a new digital dimension for interaction and user experience [7] and goes beyond the pragmatic aspects of HPI.…”