AAPE

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problem context

Asthma is the most common long-term respiratory disease, affecting over half a million children in Canada.

An asthma attack describes a violent, often terrifying episode of coughing, wheezing, and tightness in the chest. According to Statistics Canada, these attacks claim more than 200 lives annually. ‘Back to school asthma’ is a worldwide phenomenon describing the sharp increase in asthma related hospital visits observed by elementary and middle school absences each fall.

“A peak in childhood [ages 5-15] asthma attacks that coincides with the start of the school year in September, known as ‘back to school’ (BTS) asthma, accounts for 20%–25% of all attacks requiring hospitalisation...”

- Bundle N, Verlander NQ, Morbey R, et al Monitoring epidemiological trends in back to school asthma among preschool and school-aged children using real-time syndromic surveillance in England, 2012–2016J Epidemiol Community Health 2019

“It’s not unusual to see a two or three-fold increase in emergency room visits in September and October related to asthma.”

- Dr. Megan Sandel, Boston Medical Center

Children returning to school in the fall with mild to severe asthma are exposed to the coughs and colds from students in a busy new environment, escalated by a myriad of seasonal asthma triggers. The leading method to prevent asthma attacks from escalating is the ‘Asthma Action Plan’ (AAP), a personalized set of instructions to be followed during an attack.

The leading method to prevent asthma attacks from escalating is the ‘Asthma Action Plan’, a personalized set of instructions to be followed during an attack.

The AAP refers to the use of three everyday asthma products: The Peak-Flow meter gauges the strength of your lungs by the force of your breath. The Inhaler expels medicine into the Spacer - a chamber that allows the medication to be properly and entirely inhaled.

peakflow

inhaler

spacer

Information on the AAP is helpful in controlling asthma attacks, however it isn’t designed to be read by a child, and relies on an adult being there to help. When asthma flares up it may happen on a bus to school, outside during gym class, or while away for lunch. The child is then tasked with juggling between their Inhaler, Spacer, and Peak-Flow meter, while attendants search for their AAP. Vital information on the AAP is difficult to parse amidst the large amount of content, especially under the anxiety and stress of an asthma attack.

AAP

Here we saw an opportunity to streamline the recovery process, To create a reliable digital guide that could empower children to overcome feelings of fear and anxiety, enabling them to combat asthma with quickness and confidence.

We determined 3 key insights: Too many products, a Necessity for Supervision, and Cognitive Overload. This prompted us to ask a series of questions that would later guide each of our decisions.

inconvenient forms

How might we leverage children's comfortability with smartphones such that they can follow the emergency process under anxiety and stress?

How might we guide children through each recovery step in a harmonious experience with the asthma products?

necessity for guardian

How might we empower children to combat their asthma attacks independently?

cognitive overload

How might we ensure that the AAP is always at hand?

How might we reduce the number of everyday asthma products?

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this is the AAPE.

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During product research, we observed how people handled using and traveling with the Peak Flow meter, the Inhaler, and the Spacer. For younger children, parents purchased large carrying cases to travel with them in school bags. Our teenage audience often decided to take a risk and forgo the products entirely. The general consensus was that there are too many sizeable products to comfortably travel with. There are plenty of guides online that show how to transform a plastic water bottle into an inhaler spacer - to create on the go!

bottlefix

When we saw this use case, we knew there was an opportunity for innovation. The idea we derived from this case is that all 3 asthma products are essentially plastic cylinders - each with a simple mechanism. By fusing the products into a single device that communicates data to our app, AAPE transforms and accelerates the asthma attack recovery procedure.

Another contributor to the excess in asthma products is the need to carry both preventative (colour coded as orange), and relieving (blue) medicine. This medicine is stored in canisters, that are provided in multiple inhalers. While we could not easily propose a change in the canister form, we could make them easy to access and identify. AAPE is purchased with a set of QR stickers to be applied to each canister, allowing a sensor to recognize which canister is currently inside the aape.

A canister is released from the AAPE by sliding it out from the rear of the product. The canisters are easy to store, access, and swap from a fabric case with velcro pouches provided when purchasing AAPE.

when an asthma attack strikes

When every second counts, crucial steps must be presented quickly and clearly. By leveraging the existing content on the written AAP, we have arranged and coordinated the information in a step-by-step experience on a mobile application. Each vital step is brought into the spotlight with clear hierarchy and a single call to action, ensuring that the information is easy to understand under the stress and anxiety of an asthma attack.

When Myles feels short of breath, he measures his lung strength by testing his Peak Flow. After blowing into the AAPE, it determines that he’s having an attack. The AAPE product relays the severity of his condition to the app.

Myles is informed that he is having an asthma attack by a flashing red light on the product. He will receive a notification, prompting him to immediately begin the recovery process upon opening his phone. The emergency procedure begins by asking Myles to inhale a puff from the AAPE. Here he presses a button on the AAPE, which fires the medicine into the chamber for him to inhale. Upon releasing the medicine, the app will transition him to the next step.

Anxious from rushing to take his inhaler, AAPE prepares Myles for a set of questions by helping him calm down. He is reminded to sit up straight, breathe slowly, and that there is no need to rush. While the peak flow can judge his condition by the strength of his lungs, it is not a comprehensive tool. The following questions are imperative in understanding how serious his condition has become. Legible type, simple language, and distinct colours present the questions clearly and concisely. Myles is able to respond to the questionnaire by simply tapping on the condition that applies to him, allowing AAPE to quickly guide him to the next step.

After selecting a symptom, Myles must then wait a short period for the medicine to combat his asthma attack. As a necessary part of the recovery process, we decided to utilize the waiting period by prompting Myles to seek help from an adult. At this stage, Myles may put the phone down. When the waiting period is up, he will receive a notification to resume. If Myles was successful in obtaining help, the app prompts a trusted adult to view the card at the bottom. This card serves to update and onboard them, explaining what they can do to help Myles.

At this final stage, AAPE asks Myles if he is still feeling out of breath. AAPE allows Myles to independently control his asthma attacks. This extends to giving him the option to notify his guardians. If Myles is short of breath, he will not be able to convey his condition to a guardian over the phone. ‘Notify Guardian’ provides a text message report outlining what has happened, and the next steps for them to take. The app informs Myles that he must get to the hospital immediately, providing a 911 dial option.

Leveraging a previously understated part of the written AAP, the final deep breathing exercise may be followed by children who feel ready to try gaining control over their breath, at their own pace. The experience continues on his trip to emerge, as the app directs Myles to sit in an asthma recovery position. AAPE empowers children with the tools they need to combat asthma independently, yet never lets them feel alone.

On a daily basis, the AAPE app functions as an asthma manager and tracker. Children with mild to severe asthma must test their Peak Flow and inhale puffs of medicine multiple times throughout the day. AAPE sets reminders and push notifications for these everyday tasks. This data, as well as data concerning the details of his asthma attack history is stored and compiled into reports. These reports can be generated and sent to his parents and family physician, to provide detailed records of Myles asthma history over time.

Currently, Peak Flow meters categorize the results of lung strength measurements into three categories. The colour green denotes healthy and clear control. The colour yellow signals caution, as symptoms may improve or worsen. The colour red denotes an asthma attack. AAPE’s user interface reflects these colours, aside from red which was changed to a calming blue. When Myles returns from an asthma attack he must take extra caution, as his lungs and asthma condition has not yet fully recovered from the trauma of an attack. The next time he opens the app, the experience will be different. As required after a serious episode, AAPE will increase the number of asthma management tasks, and the UI will turn yellow to remind Myles of his cautionary state. To provide comfort and hope to relieve uncertainty, AAPE will emphasize daily achievements and encouraging language.

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AAPE is a project fueled by dollar donuts, sour cream & onion chips, hours spent in the Hyatt hotel lounge, and the support and encouragement from friends and family. We would like to extend a gracious thank-you to; Marie Louka for invaluable research and direction during the inception of AAPE, Venus Lau & Michael Lo for sitting through messy presentations to give us advice and critique, the Granholm family for their incredible acting talent, Shabal - who guarded Studio D and motivated us during the final hours with rousing pep talks, and lastly our friends and loved ones who we spent time apart from while tirelessly working towards finish.

Thanks so much!