The VaccApp was our first mobile application, specifically developed for patients and their families. In fact, it is one of the first successful applications of human centered design to global health.1
Rather than representing a simple 'to-do list' or an 'appointment reminder', the VaccApp represents an educational tool to improve patient safety and the monitoring of the 'real-world' effectiveness of vaccines at the same time.
The VaccApp is designed to empower parents and caretakers to becoming active partners with regards to vaccine protection. Its user-friendly design invites lay people to take a closer look at their own vaccination record and the records of their children and family members. This allows individuals to gain clarity about their personal level of health protection and to keep track of immunization visits. If clarification is needed, the app will keep a list of questions, readily available via smartphone during upcoming doctor’s visits.
The VaccApp was created through a Design Thinking partnership between VIVI and the School of Design Thinking in Potsdam, Germany, the first school for innovation in Europe.
Rather than representing a simple 'to-do list' or an 'appointment reminder', the VaccApp represents an educational tool to improve patient safety and the monitoring of the 'real-world' effectiveness of vaccines at the same time.
The VaccApp is designed to empower parents and caretakers to becoming active partners with regards to vaccine protection. Its user-friendly design invites lay people to take a closer look at their own vaccination record and the records of their children and family members. This allows individuals to gain clarity about their personal level of health protection and to keep track of immunization visits. If clarification is needed, the app will keep a list of questions, readily available via smartphone during upcoming doctor’s visits.
The VaccApp was created through a Design Thinking partnership between VIVI and the School of Design Thinking in Potsdam, Germany, the first school for innovation in Europe.
The revolutionary concept of the Design Thinking approach is to group students in small multi-disciplinary teams. As a result, they can generate ground-breaking ideas by combining their expertise and different points of view. The team agreed to address the following design challenge question: 'How might we enable physicians to encourage parents and children to prevent infectious diseases?' This article describes, step-by-step, the ideation and innovation process as well as the first tangible outcomes of the project.2
1. Bazzano AN, Martin J, Hicks E, Faughnan M, Murphy L. Human-cen- tred design in global health: A scoping review of applications and con- texts. PLoS One. 2017;12(11):e0186744. doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0186744. PMID:29091935.
2. Seeber L, Michl B, Rundblad G, Trusko B, Schnjakin M, Meinel C, Weinberg U, Gaedicke G, Rath B. A design thinking approach to effective vaccine safety communication. Curr Drug Saf. 2015; 10(1):31–40. doi:10.2174/157488631001150407105400. PMID: 25859673.
2. Seeber L, Michl B, Rundblad G, Trusko B, Schnjakin M, Meinel C, Weinberg U, Gaedicke G, Rath B. A design thinking approach to effective vaccine safety communication. Curr Drug Saf. 2015; 10(1):31–40. doi:10.2174/157488631001150407105400. PMID: 25859673.