Taking the stress out of oral fluid diagnostic testing meant that Butler’s saliva screening kits needed to be more accurate, more intuitive and easier to use.
While Butler’s revolutionary in-home healthcare HIV test kits should have offered users some important answers, the kits’ confusing medical device design and instructions for use (IFU) instead led to fear and user error. Unwilling to let the kits’ reduced accuracy level go unchecked, Butler turned to THRIVE for a more user-friendly solution.
While studying the product experience, we found that, at best, the process was uncomfortable; and at worst, the potential for error made it terrifying. More specifically, many potential users were anxious about their ability to use the test correctly, so they didn’t buy it at all. Meanwhile, those who did buy the test were often so confused and overwhelmed by the design of the medical device, its instructions for use and spill-prone vials that false negative or positives were common and user confidence remained low.
Addressing user error and user avoidance head-on, we started by rethinking the test’s comfort, clarity and ease of use. We decided we wanted something that could be completed one-handed with very little reading were the IFU’s were concerned. In turn, we created a toothbrush-like swab that stimulated saliva production and a box that stood the vial upright for one-handed usage. Then, we filled the package’s lid with simple instructional graphics that illustrated the process more clearly.
In the end, by considering the form, function and emotional fallout of this vitally important test, we designed a product that succeeded on multiple fronts. First, it organically led testers toward more accurate outcomes. Second, its clarity and accuracy led to growing user confidence the design of the medical device. Finally, and most importantly, the test’s trustworthy results and user-friendly design put sales on the rise.
