Patients’ ecosystem.

BOSTON SCIENTIFIC

Problems

33 million people globally + 5 million people in the U.S. suffer from Atrial Fibrillation, while current medications cause serious side effects.
Boston Scientific engineers developed a new-of-its-kind implanted medical device, though research showed that patients were reluctant to choose it despite the advanced technology.

Challenges

How might we introduce the benefits of a new type of treatment that, although clinically + technologically advanced, patients feel reluctant to adopt?
How might we build a strategy considering doctors’ training time for the new, implanted medical device in the U.S. + globally?

Solutions

Strategy + design of a system across patients’ experience, including:
A global integrated marketing + educational campaign
Embedded, interactive data, experiential tools (Ex: how small + light the device is, heartbeat prior + after treatment).
New app connecting patients, caregivers, + doctors + providing education + communication.
New platform enabling locating clinical centers + doctors + learning about their experience implanting the device.

Results

Expanded value to patients + caregivers beyond the device.
Established new story describing approaches across all touch points.
140,000 unique visits in the first 3 months.
18,000 unique, engaged visits in the first 3 months.
1 app scaled across other implanted medical devices.
1 platform scaled across other digital platforms.
Saved Boston Scientific over $3 million leading to the creation of an internal team.
6 awards

Human stories that matter.

Reframing the problem from product + technology-first to human-first.
Based on experience maps + service design models, identified what information patients, caregivers, + doctors need + when + anticipated the gaps, resulting in a global, integrated campaign, one app, + one platform.

Applying design thinking.

Conducting field observations + interviewing patients, caregivers + doctors, + prototyping + testing to create the experience, services, + tools that patients, caregivers, + doctors need.
Helping patients understand complex medical information in human-centric ways, allowing them to make the decision that’s right for them.
Minimizing marketing while providing knowledge, services, + tools.

Reframing pain points.

Based on interviews, patients were worried that the procedure is too invasive. A communication app provides doctors with a tool to explain complex medical information about the condition, how it affects other related medical conditions, + the procedure in-person + virtually, during + after the visit.
For patients and caregivers, it provides personalized, visual information that they can digest on their own time + enables them to communicate with the clinical team remotely. Patients make the choice when ready + learn to prepare for it.

Environment activation.

As the first product of its kind, explaining what it does expanded into environment: Cleaning a water stream from debris elevates awareness to the condition and Watchman’s role allowing the blood to flow freely.

Personalized content.

A tailored, unique content strategy for each social media platform based on audience engagement and differentiators. Pinterest: Engaging artists to visually explain what Watchman does. YouTube: Sharing a video of a patient skydiving after the procedure. Facebook: Telling the behind-the-scenes story about how the product was invented and created.