Vitamin A Deficiency: a human-centered design problem

Why it's a serious problem:

#1 preventable cause of blindness in developing countries

Caused by malnutrition

Contributes to mortality of other conditions  (malaria, HIV, etc)

Existing solutions & why they leave a gap:

Current test requires about 2 weeks to process & requires delicate, expensive lab equipment

Some charities target pregnant women & very young children with high-dose supplementation strategy 

Not applicable to adult population: overdose from supplements is just as harmful as deficiency 

Scarcity mentality makes unsupervised supplementation not feasible

A viable solution must be:

Low cost

Durable

Can withstand humidity, inconsistent power

Multilingual

Usable by people who aren’t literate

First iteration:

Poster printed with glow-in-the-dark ink

Pros:

Far faster than lab test; cheap; portable/packable; easily produced; easily customized to language; can be used with illiterate patients

Cons:

Not durable; how would it be mounted in clinics?; is the glow-in-the-dark ink the same mechanism as night blindness?

Key stakeholder feedback:

Logistics is the most important factor when designing for charity:

don’t give them more junk they don’t need, 

and consider form factors both for getting it to its destination and for while it’s being used 

(i.e. does it need electricity or repairs; will it be ruined in humidity; can it be repurposed for something else urgent, like a surgery light)

-Andrew Henderson, lab manager at CU Inworks, formerly cataract surgery coordinator at a clinic in Honduras

Final Prototype: 

Flattenable box with graduated cutouts

+ flattenable solar-powered lantern

Pros:

Durable (waterproof); small, light and flat: easily transported; can use interior light for other needs (surgery light, power devices); no electricity required; no maintenance required

Cons:

more expensive (about $11 per unit); still needs testing with optometrist, to ensure it’s diagnosing accurately