Transforming cognitive assessments
A
Public Works
Case Study
Transforming cognitive assessments
A
Public Works
Case Study
Nearly 7 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, the number is expected to rise to 13 million. Treatments to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s are now available, but they require early detection of the disease. Cognitive assessments can advance early detection but are not widely adopted in the U.S.
Transforming cognitive assessments
A collaboration with Cogstate that leverages human-centered design to empower PCPs & older Americans to monitor brain health
A collaboration with Cogstate that leverages human-centered design to empower PCPs & older Americans to monitor brain health
Offering
Research
Research
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Design Strategy
Design Strategy
Actions
Desk Research Internal Stakeholder Interviews In-depth Interviews Diary Studies Prioritization Workshop
Outcomes
Validated product-market fit Identified barriers to adoption Reframed offering Expanded value proposition Identified key leverage points
Impact
Advanced commercialization
Cogstate is on a mission to tackle this public health crisis by making scientifically valid cognitive assessments simple, accessible, and informative. Cognigram is one of their crowning achievements. This HIPPA-compliant, FDA Class II exempt digital medical device is powered by the Cogstate Brief Battery, which has been used to effectively monitor brain health in more than 2,000 research studies. This led the team to wonder: How might we leverage Cognigram to advance the early detection of Alzheimer's disease in doctor's offices and homes across the U.S.? To this end, Public Works was honored to lead the strategic design of the Cognigram experience.
Learning, unlearning, and reframing
We embrace a collaborative, human-centered approach to designing healthcare experiences. This initiative unfolded over 12 weeks and engaged a diversity of internal and external stakeholders. The process was divided into three parts – discovery, design, and implementation.
To kickoff discovery, we conducted desk research to better understand the current state of Alzheimer’s detection, diagnosis, and care. Then, we interviewed Cogstate team members to better understand the current state of the technology and the possibilities and pitfalls surrounding commercialization.
Medicare Annual Wellness Visits emerged as a possible sites for the administration of Cognigram. To explore this possibility, we interviewed Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) and Staff responsible for conducting Wellness Visits.
To better understand how Cognigram might integrate into homes of older Americans, we designed a 7-day diary study. And invited 20 individuals over 65 to participate in the study. Each day, participants were asked to complete a different activity. Activities were designed to help us better understand their homes, spheres of influence, care networks, relationships with technology, and their perceptions of Cognigram.
Two key learnings emerged from our research that reframed the entire design challenge:
Many Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) do not feel confident assessing cognitive function. Or talking about it with their patients.
Many older Americans do not perceive Cognigram as a cognitive assessment. To them, it’s a measure of their self-worth. And many fear the worst, cognitive impairment.
In other words, we learned that product adoption would require behavior change. It would require older Americans and PCPs to know that a product like Cognigram exists, understand its value, be motivated to try it, have the skills to use it, and feel supported along the way. To this end, we reframed the design challenge to focus on humanizing the Cognigram experience.
From insights to action
We synthesized the insights from our research into 38 opportunities to enhance the Cognigram experience so that older Americans and PCPs would feel empowered to integrate the cognitive assessment into their everyday lives. Together, we:
Validated the product-market fit
Identified barriers to adoption
Reframed the offering as a tool, rather than a test
Expanded the value proposition
Identified key leverages points
To propel the project forward, we assembled a detailed Action Plan for optimizing the product experience. Then, aligned team members around immediate next steps–including the designed and facilitation of a 16-week Report Prototyping Lab to humanize the visual communication of Cognigram results.
Assembling stakeholders and creating space for diverse interests and ideas is an integral part of our approach to learning, unlearning, and innovating. It expands the boundaries of possibility, accelerates development, increases the effectiveness of the outcomes, and fosters a sense of shared ownership which saves time, energy, and money.
Cogstate is on a mission to tackle this public health crisis by making scientifically valid cognitive assessments simple, accessible, and informative. Cognigram is one of their crowning achievements. This HIPPA-compliant, FDA Class II exempt digital medical device is powered by the Cogstate Brief Battery, which has been used to effectively monitor brain health in more than 2,000 research studies. This led the team to wonder: How might we leverage Cognigram to advance the early detection of Alzheimer's disease in doctor's offices and homes across the U.S.? To this end, Public Works was honored to lead the strategic design of the Cognigram experience.
Learning, unlearning, and reframing
We embrace a collaborative, human-centered approach to designing healthcare experiences. This initiative unfolded over 12 weeks and engaged a diversity of internal and external stakeholders. The process was divided into three parts – discovery, design, and implementation.
To kickoff discovery, we conducted desk research to better understand the current state of Alzheimer’s detection, diagnosis, and care. Then, we interviewed Cogstate team members to better understand the current state of the technology and the possibilities and pitfalls surrounding commercialization.
Medicare Annual Wellness Visits emerged as a possible sites for the administration of Cognigram. To explore this possibility, we interviewed Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) and Staff responsible for conducting Wellness Visits.
To better understand how Cognigram might integrate into homes of older Americans, we designed a 7-day diary study. And invited 20 individuals over 65 to participate in the study. Each day, participants were asked to complete a different activity. Activities were designed to help us better understand their homes, spheres of influence, care networks, relationships with technology, and their perceptions of Cognigram.
Two key learnings emerged from our research that reframed the entire design challenge:
Many Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) do not feel confident assessing cognitive function. Or talking about it with their patients.
Many older Americans do not perceive Cognigram as a cognitive assessment. To them, it’s a measure of their self-worth. And many fear the worst, cognitive impairment.
In other words, we learned that product adoption would require behavior change. It would require older Americans and PCPs to know that a product like Cognigram exists, understand its value, be motivated to try it, have the skills to use it, and feel supported along the way. To this end, we reframed the design challenge to focus on humanizing the Cognigram experience.
From insights to action
We synthesized the insights from our research into 38 opportunities to enhance the Cognigram experience so that older Americans and PCPs would feel empowered to integrate the cognitive assessment into their everyday lives. Together, we:
Validated the product-market fit
Identified barriers to adoption
Reframed the offering as a tool, rather than a test
Expanded the value proposition
Identified key leverages points
To propel the project forward, we assembled a detailed Action Plan for optimizing the product experience. Then, aligned team members around immediate next steps–including the designed and facilitation of a 16-week Report Prototyping Lab to humanize the visual communication of Cognigram results.
Assembling stakeholders and creating space for diverse interests and ideas is an integral part of our approach to learning, unlearning, and innovating. It expands the boundaries of possibility, accelerates development, increases the effectiveness of the outcomes, and fosters a sense of shared ownership which saves time, energy, and money.
Nearly 7 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, the number is expected to rise to 13 million. Treatments to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s are now available, but they require early detection of the disease. Cognitive assessments can advance early detection but are not widely adopted in the U.S.
Below:
Below:
Cognigram reframed with insight from Primary Care Physicians and Medicare Patients
Cognigram reframed with insight from Primary Care Physicians and Medicare Patients
Extending quality of life
This initiative provided the foundation for the commercialization of Cognigram in doctors’ offices and homes across the U.S. However, this was a means to a far greater end. As Cogstate CEO Brad O'Connor stated, "The impact goes beyond product innovation and adoption. It paves the way for the early detection of cognitive impairment that could be associated with Alzheimer’s, which given the disease-modifying therapies that are now available, could prolong the quality of life for millions of Americans.”