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Last month I attended the USC Body Computing Conference, produced by Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine at the USC Keck School of Medicine, Dr. Leslie Saxon, and her team at the USC Center for Body Computing. Many conferences bring together innovators shaping today’s health technology. What I really enjoy about the Body Computing Conference is its interdisciplinary perspective. Leading device manufacturers, Big Data experts, scientists, engineers, doctors, social media and game developers, sports industry executives, product designers and Hollywood producers all came together to explore how Digital Health can integrate into people’s lives and drive better health outcomes.

Though they approached it from many angles, speakers at the Body Computing Conference ultimately prescribed a clear path to success: access and engagement. We need to make data from connected health devices available to the people who use them, and we need to create deeper, more relevant value for this information in users’ lives.

Access

Traditionally, patients have had limited access to their own health data. It’s lived in folders at their doctor’s office. This leads to a fragmented view of health—it’s something you address in the context of your doctor. Without a constant flow of information, people fail to take ownership of their health. Dr. Saxon and members of the Center for Body Computing are trying to change that by giving people real-time access to the data coming from their bodies. Karten Design helped Cameron Health, a company that manufactures implantable cardiac devices, to present a first-of-its-kind concept that lets people monitor the performance of their heart and their implant on their smart phone. Outside of the clinical setting, people can now purchase devices that monitor their blood pressure, pulse, physical activity, sleep, fertility, and mood, just to name a few things. Speakers at the Body Computing Conference weighed in on an ongoing debate about how much information to give consumers. There’s the possibility that independent access will undermine the doctor’s control, or that patients will misinterpret data and worry about things that are insignificant. Speakers (even a representative from the FDA!) agreed that informed patients are best. They’re engaged in their health and motivated to make lifestyle changes.

For product manufacturers, this means that first we need to think about making data from electronic devices or sensors accessible, yet secure. Beyond that, we have to consider how the information is shared. Raw data is hard to interpret and people may not know how to take corrective action based on the information. We need to focus on turning data into insight that leads to action: you need to walk more today, or you need to eat less sodium and more fiber. Even data needs design.

Engagement

It’s not enough that a product or technology works. It also has to resonate with its intended users. Dr. Saxon (whose own brother is an award-winning Hollywood producer) believes that if Connected Health is ever going to truly take off, it needs marketing help from Hollywood. Creative thinkers are needed to craft messages about the benefits of technology and weave it in to people’s life narratives. Their understanding should be not just technical and logical, but emotional. This is why she’s tapped people in USC’s schools of Cinema and Sports Medicine, even athletes from USC’s football team. A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down!

This is something that product manufacturers can take to heart, as well. Whether it’s performance, wellbeing, or entertainment, find connections with customers’ lives and their personal narratives.

Snapshot

Karten Design has captured more information and opportunities from the Body Computing Conference in our Snapshot. Read about what other entrepreneurs and innovators are doing to take digital health technology to a global population and begin planning your next move in the Connected Health movement.

This article originally appeared on Medical Device + Diagnostic Industry online. Additional coverage of the V2 Renal Denervation System can be found on Fast Company Co.Design and Medgadget.com.

Consumer-inspired design is not just for consumer-facing products. Vessix Vascular’s V2 Renal Denervation System shows how traditional cardiovascular device manufacturers can learn a lesson from consumer electronics companies about creating excitement through design.

In consumer design, where potential customers are faced with a wide variety of options and often make final purchase decisions based heavily on a split-second emotional reaction, aesthetics is a critical success factor. Consumer companies have made an art out of this split-second emotional reaction. Procter & Gamble has popularized it as the First Moment of Truth. It’s roused by a product’s looks, packaging, and the overall message that it communicates. If the message connects with the customer, this impression often leads to a purchase.

But how often do you feel compelled to reach out and touch a medical device? When is the last time you’ve looked at a medical monitor and breathed a reverent “Wow!”? Chances are it hasn’t happened in your career.

Medical devices are traditionally driven by functionality: if it accomplishes the intended clinical result with a reasonable amount of ease, then the device is a success. Over the past 10 years, design has become a more significant consideration in medical devices. However, business-to-business medical devices have been slower than their consumer-oriented counterparts to embrace aesthetic design as an integral part of the product development process.

The recent partnership of Vessix Vascular and Karten Design illustrates the power that a development approach emphasizing aesthetics and emotion can have even for a traditional medical device company.

Appearance is Everything

Vessix Vascular is a pre-revenue stage company developing novel radiofrequency balloon catheter technology. This year, Vessix Vascular introduced the V2 Renal Denervation System—a percutaneous catheter-based system now in clinical trials for the treatment of drug-resistant hypertension.

Renal denervation is a procedure that uses a short blast of radiofrequency (RF) energy, delivered through a catheter, to disable the nerves surrounding the arteries leading to the kidneys, thus treating hypertension at one of its physiological sources. The results of the first in-human clinical study, conducted by a company called Ardian and published in The Lancet in 2009, proved that this procedure can significantly reduce blood pressure in up to 83 percent of people who suffered from drug-resistant hypertension.

Today, Vessix Vascular is one of the fast followers that have entered the field and are competing to define the next generation of renal denervation.  But standing out and commercializing its new technology in an emerging field would be a challenge.

Despite the tremendous promise of renal denervation, this highly specialized and relatively new process can be difficult to communicate to a non-technical audience. Vessix realized that evoking the excitement and potential of its system—creating a powerful First Moment of Truth— would be a critical component to success as it sought funding and support from the medical community.

When CEO Raymond Cohen joined Vessix in 2010, he evaluated the engineering prototype of the company’s RF generator, the system used to navigate and generate power, and decided that it lacked the desired emotional impact. To look at the “square, typical, plastic box,” as Cohen describes it, one would never guess they were looking at a new technology capable of changing the quality of life for millions of patients.

Cohen saw an opportunity to design a system purpose-built for renal denervation—one that would generate excitement and help advance the procedure in the medical world. To make people understand the system’s value, Vessix was going to have to let them see it for themselves. That’s when Karten Design became involved.

Starting with a Strategy

At the highest level, Karten Design’s goal was to use design to attract investment and build the level of trust with the medical community that would be necessary to quickly advance Vessix’s new technology toward commercialization.

Before designers put pencil to paper, Karten Design’s first step was to understand the advantages that the Vessix system offered over its competitors. In this case, the advantage was speed (able to accomplish renal denervation in just 30 seconds per artery), which means less discomfort and less exposure to radiation and toxicity for the patient, and time and money saved for the hospital.

“I want this thing to look fast,” Cohen told Karten Design. “It has to communicate that this is the second generation of Renal Denervation—the ultimate. I want people’s first reaction when they see this device to be WOW!”

To create a powerful First Moment of Truth, we approached designing the RF generator—the face of the system—the same way we would approach a consumer product, with a focus on high-quality materials and finish, and an evocative, emotional form. Like the technology itself, the design had to be new and different, jarring people from their expectations and routines.

The design seeks to arouse an unusual emotion in the medical field: intrigue. Breaking from the tradition of boxy medical equipment, the V2 Generator has a sweeping, parabolic form that takes advantage of the cart-mounted configuration. Because the generator would never have to sit on a table, it didn’t need a flat bottom. Cantilevered beyond the cart pole, the RF generator appears to be hovering—an effect that adds to the device’s intrigue.

Details such as texture and contrast draw people deeper into the product, encouraging closer examination. We employed a new palette of materials that suggest consumer electronics more than hospital equipment. Made from CNC-machined aluminum, the generator is designed to take advantage of the manufacturing process to achieve stunning details, such as the interlocking diamond texture of the device’s side housings. Designers worked with the machine shop to define a precise cutter path, run at a 45-degree angle in either direction, creating a series of ridges and valleys. A polished, black-anodized finish reflects light from every angle, providing a high level of contrast to the matte, bead-blasted main enclosure.

A brilliant, full-color screen is the heart of the design. As the component that communicates with the world, a custom-designed graphic user interface reinforces the simplicity of the 30-second procedure. With dimensional, gel-like forms and light, glowing graphics on a dark background, the crisp interface takes aesthetic cues from the XBox gaming console and the futuristic, fictional world of Tron.

A series of six minimal screens guides users visually through the procedure. Before treatment is initiated, it confirms when catheter electrodes are optimally positioned inside the patient and prompts the user to deliver therapy. After the therapy is performed, the display summarizes relevant information for reporting. Key to the system’s ease of use, designers provided a visual distinction between information that’s displayed for knowledge and information that requires action. Color, layers, and size create an information hierarchy that emphasizes action points.

A Purpose-Built System

Designing the Vessix V2 System from the ground up gave us the opportunity to tailor its functionality to the needs of end users in the cardiac catheterization lab.

Karten Design went into hospital catheterization labs to observe procedures and interview doctors, learning about cath lab layouts and workflow and the ceremonies familiar to doctors and technicians. Along the way, we considered questions such as, how will the catheter and generator relate? How will doctors see the progress of the catheter and its positioning in the renal artery of the patient? How will the treatment be activated and delivered? The goal was to make the system very simple, integrating familiar ceremonies into a new technology to ensure usability. We used this information to evaluate several use case scenarios and hone in on the most efficient one.

Functional features resulting from the research reinforce the brand strategy of simplicity. They include the decision to position the device outside of the sterile field, where it would be operated with minimal effort or training by a non-sterile nurse or technician, in order to keep clutter out of the critical sterile field. The team decided the RF generator should be operated with a push button on the front of the device, eliminating the potential for too many cords and clutter that could come with a foot pedal. Research also informed the decision to implement the generator as a pole-mounted, cart-based device, giving it the flexibility to accommodate different cath labs’ procedures for operating and storing the equipment.

The Real Moment of Truth

Cohen describes the impact that design has made in public presentations to investors and in medical forums, “The main benefit is that people get the message. It comes screaming out of the design of the product. It gets people’s attention even though we haven’t sold a unit and don’t have clinical results for the product. People take us much more seriously. This is important, especially when you’re a fast follower and there are others who would like to get in on the prize. We’ve been able to successfully position Vessix as THE fast follower in this space.”

Vessix’s V2 System is currently in the middle of a REDUCE-HTN in-human clinical study at 10 international clinical sites. The study is expected to be completed this year, and Vessix anticipates receiving a CE mark by summer 2012, which will allow it to begin marketing the product. Cohen expects an official product launch in Europe as early as 2013, making this procedure available to the wider number of people suffering from drug-resistant hypertension.

Valentine’s Day is a yearly opportunity to show the people in your life that you care about them. Given the history of St. Valentine, we often think about this day in terms of romantic relationships, but today more than ever is a good time to reflect on all of the relationships in our lives —romantic, platonic, and even business—and to be mindful of ways we can enhance these relationships.

I’m not just talking about sending your client a box of chocolates or bringing in heart-shaped cookies for your co-workers (though such gestures are always appreciated!) Relationships gain the most strength when you work on communication and collaboration.

Business relationships have always been an important focus at Karten Design. Stuart Karten recently wrote about the importance of working with clients who are friends saying that, “The affection and intimacy of a friendship creates the ideal environment for innovation to occur.” We’ve implemented new ways to involve our clients in the innovation process through kickoff meetings, brainstorming sessions, and collaborative research analysis.

We’ve also been strengthening our internal bonds. In a busy office, it’s easy to become siloed in our own projects and disciplines. But we’ve discovered the benefit of integrating the different perspectives of people with perspectives different from our own.

Our team is made up of illustrators, artists, anthropologists, MBAs, engineers, sociologists, and storytellers. We come from backgrounds in product design, graphic design, architecture, publishing, medical devices, furniture, consumer electronics, interactive design, retail design, business strategy and fine arts. Some of us are visual thinkers, some of us love data, and some of us express ourselves with words. What brings us together is a common purpose—creating positive experiences between people and products.

Sometimes creating these experiences means getting designers and engineers involved in field research to develop empathy for the end users. Or asking researchers to attend key review and idea generation sessions to make sure the concepts are true to the research insights. We gather early input from engineers to make sure our concepts are feasible, or that the material selection is effective and integrating functional innovation.

Our collaborative work style promotes innovation as silos are bridged and people leave their comfort zones. It’s fun, but it’s not always easy. Sometimes, creative sparks fly. But these are the very sparks that ignite innovation.

So if you do one thing to improve your business relationships this month, I believe the best thing you can do is to wander into a different department, look deep into your associate’s eyes and ask, “What do you think about this?”

Reflecting on Movember, Karten Design Designer Jonathan Abarbanel discusses the role of storytelling in men’s health.

Karten Design just finished up a successful Movember. By growing mustaches for a month, 10 of our men used their faces to start conversations about men’s health and raise almost $1,000 dollars to fund men’s health research and education.

We’ve had a lot of conversations in our studio during Movember. Most were about mustaches, but a few were about larger issues of health. I wonder, as Movember turns into December and most of the men at Karten Design shave their Mo-staches, what the experiences and conversations have meant to those of us who participated.

Last week I sat down with our Movember Team Captain Jonathan Abarbanel to get his point of view. A father of two young children and the husband of a children’s librarian, Jonathan is something of an expert at storytelling. Recently, Jonathan took a class in Narrative and Digital Media at UCLA Extension, and it’s made him think about the role that stories play in our everyday lives. He believes that stories are all around us, and we uncover new stories by doing new things. I asked Jonathan what sorts of stories he’s found in Movember.

Can stories change our behavior? If so, in what ways?

We all have personal narratives. It’s this subconscious image of who you are as a “character,” and it becomes your mental framework for remembering and making sense of events. People selectively remember or forget events that reinforce the self image they hold. These stories are incredibly powerful. If you have a certain image of what challenges you seek out, who you are as an individual and how you respond to challenge, it will change your behavior.

What kinds of stories might be most useful when it comes to health?

I remember when Tom Green was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He was a comedian with a reputation for shock humor, and his testicular cancer turned out to be weirdly appropriate material. He did a comedy special that detailed his experience with testicular cancer in “dude language” with Bevis and Butthead-style humor. This language really resonated with a young audience that might not have thought about their health. I think the most useful stories are frank, plain-spoken, and authentic.

Do you think there are any stories or methods that appeal more to men?

When men talk among themselves, their conversations are action-based, not feeling-based. I think that’s what’s missing in the health conversation. Traditional men’s health discussions focus on things like body building and exercise. Now there’s a growing movement in wellness and emotional health, but so far it has not taken a male-centric point of view. It’s considered un-masculine to even talk about wellness or emotional balance! As much as I would like to think I’m not a typical guy, I don’t talk about health with my dad or my two brothers. The closest we come to talking about health is re-hashing the story of my grandpa—my dad’s dad—who lived to be 96. He had a set routine. He would wake up at 5 in the morning and swim laps. His mantra for life as well as health was “everything in moderation.” In our culture, that’s how “real” men talk. It’s action based.

The Movember website advises people to know their family health history: “Start a discussion with your relatives about the health issues they’ve had in the past. Be sure to learn about relatives that are deceased too.” Do you know your family health history? How does this influence how you perceive your story?

I know that I have a family history of diabetes, cancer, and high cholesterol. It’s one thing to know the conditions that run in your family. It’s quite another to turn unemotional data into something that has resonance and spurs action—a story that’s personal and detailed. My dad could tell me about going to visit his Aunt Beatrice in the rest home and how she had no legs because she lost them to diabetes. When you get such visceral details, presented in the context of an experiential story, you start to realize, hey, that could be me. I don’t want that to happen to me.

But we don’t often tell these types of stories. For me, it’s less about specific stories and more about altering the underlying culture that prevents people—men in particular—from sharing their stories. Maybe it’s a good thing that there are shows like Men of a Certain Age that depict men talking about their health, or even all of the commercials about erectile dysfunction. Even if they don’t ring true in our culture today, I guess I see them as aspirational. They set up a new model for interaction and chip away at taboos. I think professional storytellers should look for more ways to integrate health into our every-day conversations, whether it’s comedy routines or television shows. Maybe it will eventually filter down into the ways that friends and families talk to each other.

Our bodies are like computers, producing volumes of data throughout the day—heart signals, brainwaves, blood pressure and more. Dr. Leslie Saxon, chief cardiologist at USC’s Keck School of Medicine, believes that by capturing and interpreting this data through wirelessly connected wearable devices, we can help to solve many of the challenges the health care system faces today. Wearable devices can inform patients, giving them greater responsibility and the proper tools to better manage their own health. Real-time physiological data can help healthcare professionals make informed decisions to improve patient outcomes.

Dr. Saxon founded the USC Center for Body Computing, bringing together an interdisciplinary group of physicians, business people, engineers and cinematographers to study and create the future of wireless medicine.

Attending the USC Body Computing Conference, Karten Design was privy to the latest developments and innovations in the field of connected health, from technology and devices that will revolutionize care delivery to interfaces and mobile apps that will encourage people to adopt healthy behaviors before they’re sick.

We’re excited about the potential of Body Computing to empower people—not just patients, but caregivers, coaches, athletes and entertainers. Are you curious? Check out Karten Design’s Snapshot to see highlights and take-aways from the Body Computing Conference.

Karten Design’s Conversations series gives our studio the opportunity to peer into the creative process of leading thinkers in other disciplines. Recently, we took an intimate look into the work of Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino, whose music has enhanced the emotional experiences of films including The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, Super 8 and Up.

Giacchino does not just see himself as a composer, but as a storyteller. His music is meant to create emotions that help the audience relate to the stories they’re watching on the screen. His process gave us important lessons in using stories to connect with people and create experiences that resonate. Here are some of our favorites:

Tailor your work to the story. “Composing music is scary,” Giacchino admitted. “One wrong note, and the audience feels something they’re not supposed to feel.” With that in mind, he collaborates closely with writers to ensure that his music provides the right expression for each story. Early on, Giacchino takes cues from a story’s characters and its emotional tone. When diving into Ratattouille, the story of a sewer rat that aspired to be a chef, Giacchino asked himself “what sounds ratty?” He used funny scurrying, fluttering noises created by flutes and plucking strings as the thematic foundation for his music. His collaborative process extends from such big-picture thematic expressions down to the nuanced emotions of each scene. Each project kicks off with a spotting session, in which Giacchino watches the movie with its creators, analyzing each scene and creating a map for the music.

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Look beneath the surface. The on-screen visual is not always an accurate representation of what is really happening in a scene. Sometimes the best solution requires you to dig deeper to find the most poignant emotion. As a case in point, Giacchino referred to the scene in the movie Up where the main character, Carl, launches his small home off its foundation and into the air with the help of thousands of helium balloons. At first read, this is a triumphant moment. Giacchino’s first draft of music for this scene is dramatic, featuring horn blasts. But something didn’t feel right. He realized that this scene wasn’t about the house launching. It was about what was happening inside of Carl’s heart. The old man was leaving the spot where he and his late wife grew old together to pursue the dream they’d held since they were young. It was a very bittersweet moment. Giacchino contrasts his first draft with the final version of this scene– a quieter, slower, waltz-inspired melody that brings the audience to tears.

Challenge clichés. Some creators are victims of their own success. They find the perfect solution and start relying on a formula. Giacchino avoids resting on his laurels by focusing on different sets of instruments in each new project. When he began writing music for the TV series Lost, it was important to him that the audience felt uncomfortable. Viewers needed to emotionally accompany the characters through their journey on a mysterious island netherworld. Giacchino challenged the obvious “island” cliche that would have called for a soundtrack heavy on shakers and woodwinds. Instead, he decided to focus on strings. He created the feeling of discomfort by using classic instruments and breaking all of he classical rules. Violins scratched with their bows; cellos played out of key– everything a music teacher tells you not to do.

It’s not about you, but your experiences bring important inspiration. Michael Giacchino’s work draws heavily from his own life experiences. His talk was punctuated with stories of emotionally resonant moments in his past that, for him, have come to represent emotions like sadness, danger and heroism. However, Giacchino is careful to emphasize that making movies is not about the creator as an individual. Composing music for television or film requires a singular focus on the story. “Take what inspires you and contextualize it in your work,” he advises.

It was his storytelling approach that ultimately made Giacchino’s presentation so engaging. Whether you’re sharing your own work or bringing someone else’s product to life, a well-told story will always grab attention.

Did you know that Baby Boomers have more than $1 trillion in disposable income? By the year 2015, people 51 to 70 years old will consume more than any other generational cohort in the US economy for the first time in history.

This caught our attention at Karten Design. We’re closely following the trends that emerge around Baby Boomers to understand how their evolving needs will affect the products we design. Through every stage in their life, Boomers have re-invented social norms and made a lasting impact on our culture. One thing is certain as Boomers enter retirement: they will not conform to traditional notions of aging. This year the oldest Baby Boomers turn sixty-five, signaling a demographic shift that will have huge implications for product manufacturers.

I wanted to share a portion of our research with you by making our report available for download.

Download the Full Orange Slice

As a product design and innovation firm, we find it essential to keep our eyes on the future, looking at the cultural tremors that will affect the ways that people experience products. Karten Design’s “Orange Slice” is a series of mini trend reports that explore emerging trends and their effect on the relationship between people and products. 

An Interview with WLSA VP of Partner Development, Paul Sonnier

One of the biggest opportunities for accelerating the adoption of Wireless Health is the creation of a consumer movement. This is one thing that struck me during this year’s WLSA Convergence Summit. Connected devices, apps and services marketed directly to consumers are allowing people to achieve personal health objectives, whether that involves getting a better night’s sleep (Zeo Personal Sleep Coach), managing weight (Fit Bit or Body Media), or even conceiving a child (Duo Fertility). Many medical device companies are taking traditional routes, coordinating with insurance providers, health systems and the FDA to get their devices adopted in clinical settings. But innovative start-ups like these, as well as consumer giants like Procter & Gamble, are taking Wireless Health directly to consumers.

Working in the marketing department for a company that designs both medical devices and consumer products, I was intrigued by the idea of a consumer-driven movement in healthcare. It represents a major shift away from the insurance-driven model of healthcare prominent in the U.S. today. This growing business model will force manufacturers to think harder about patients’ needs, their habits and their lifestyles and to develop a strong consumer-facing brand.

To delve more deeply into this topic, I spoke with Paul Sonnier, Vice President of Partner Development at the Wireless-Life Science Alliance (WLSA). WLSA is a special-purpose trade organization dedicated to creating value and improving health, globally, through the convergence of communications technologies, consumers, caregivers and all sectors of the life sciences and technology environment. In his role, Paul fosters partnership and collaboration between WLSA members and inducting new partners—both clinical and consumer companies. Additionally, Paul founded and manages the Wireless Health group on LinkedIn, which is dedicated to advancing knowledge and building relationships between professionals interested in the convergence of wireless technology with the continuum of clinical healthcare, clinical research, and consumer health.

Excerpts of our conversation follow.

Where are we now in the adoption cycle of Wireless Health? Does the consumer have a role or interest in advancing the adoption?

Both clinical and consumer concerns will drive the future of Wireless Health. There are distinctions and overlaps between the business models of the two sectors, but for both, the central focus is on health. Today, hospitals are already filled with wireless technology. Phones are pervasive with caregivers as well as consumers. But I believe the biggest potential for growth lies with consumers. I’ve advocated that we work toward the creation of an mHealth/wireless health consumer movement because I think wireless health can set off a global idea pandemic. When consumers fully and widely understand the benefits of wireless health, it can amplify the efforts of industry, policymakers, and academia. There are billions of consumers. Once they are inculcated to this idea and it becomes viral, there’s no stopping it.

What needs to be done to make consumers more aware of the benefits of mHealth?

If all constituencies—companies, industry groups, governments, NGOs, professionals, and consumers—were to make a concerted effort to communicate the value of wireless technology in health applications and availability of mHealth solutions and their many benefits, we could potentially initiate a consumer movement reinforcing the efforts of industry. In my opinion, this is the missing catalyst required to further accelerate realization of the full potential of mHealth and wireless health. It needs to be a large-scale, viral movement. Dr. Dave Albert, inventor of the iPhone ECG, set forth some criteria for creating a global idea pandemic in a talk this spring for TEDxOKC. With the right convergence of technology, ease of use, social networks, media syndication and timing, an idea can become viral.

For my part, I’m focusing on building up the Wireless Health LinkedIn group professional social network, which has become a tribe. I’m also focused on connecting members of the WLSA with beneficial partners for partnering and pursuit of opportunities that collaboration makes possible. Earlier this year, I made the decision to make these groups open for viewing by anyone. They are also open for indexing by search engines and easier sharing of discussions via shortened hyperlinks, Twitter, and Facebook.  With nearly 6,000 members, this group is the biggest of its kind by a wide margin, and it delivers the most value through its wide network and relevant discussions and news posts by members. A vast majority of members are people from different industries—not just health or wireless—because ultimately, we’re all stakeholders. We are all consumers and patients.

You mentioned “branding mHealth” in your article. With so many players and stakeholders involved, do you think it’s beneficial, or even possible, to establish one consistent definition for the Wireless Health movement?

Having a consistent brand would be huge. A good functional analogy is the organic food industry. Certified Organic foods are easy to brand and sell. The organic stamp becomes a trust mark for consumers, who believe in the health benefits of the food they buy.

It would also be helpful if there were a central theme in the messaging of wireless health companies. Currently, there’s some naming confusion. People refer to this phenomenon as “wireless health,” “connected health,” “digital health,” and “mHealth” just to name a few. These terms do have some distinctions and are useful, but can distract from a brand image. My belief is that the real game-changer in consumer health and healthcare delivery is simply wireless technology. The engine behind these solutions, whether sensors or cell phone apps, is wireless technology. The benefits they enable are mobility, freedom, independence and information (real time or asynchronous). If you consistently show and tell consumers what wireless health enables, they will start to see the value in these solutions and begin driving the industry sector as consumers are wont to do. This is a goal, but it is not a requirement. Wireless health is becoming pervasive – a sort of invisible revolution. My objective is to do what I can to accelerate this revolution so that we can ultimately achieve the paradox of better health and healthcare concomitant with reduced costs to consumers and our healthcare systems.

Imagine a world where your car can tell you when your blood sugar needs a boost, or an electronic device in your home can accurately tell you whether your sore throat is a symptom of bacterial strep throat or a common cold.

These scenarios could soon become a reality thanks to a convergence of communications technology and medicine that is creating a mobile revolution in health and wellness.

According to Rob McCray, President and Co-Founder of the Wireless-Life Science Alliance, a leading Wireless Health coalition, we are only experiencing the beginning of the new possibilities that Wireless Health will enable: “If this were the internet commerce sector, we would be in 1995 when it was not clear what shape that sector would take.” Indeed, experts predict that digital health technology and services will grow by more than 300% over the next five years, from $1.7 billion today to approximately $5.7 billion in 2015.

This week, we put the spotlight on Wireless Health with a roundup of articles that help to define this growing force and look at the impact that it will have on physicians, caregivers and patients, as well as product manufacturers.

Why Wireless Heath Matters – MobiHealthNews

“The potential of wireless health will be realized in the effective blending of three bodies of learning: high technology; life sciences; and human factors.”

Do-It-Yourself Health Care With Smartphones – NY Times

“Thanks to an array of small devices and applications for smartphones… consumers can take a more active role in managing their own care, often treating chronic illnesses — and preventing acute ones — without the direct aid of a physician.”

Ford eyes health application for Sync – Detroit Free Press

“Ford and partners want diabetics to be able to use the same wireless glucometers they use at home or work in their vehicles. The Sync-connected devices would alert a driver or passenger when blood-sugar levels rise or fall to risky levels.”

Healthcare Puts Tablets To The Test – InformationWeek Healthcare

“Since gadget-happy doctors got their hands on the iPad last year, many have turned it from a toyinto a professional tool. Dr. Jeffrey Westcott, cardiology board chair at Swedish Medical Center, a four-hospital complex in Seattle, even sees it as a lifesaver.”

Tricorder X Prize To Allow Patients To Diagnose Themselves – Fast Company

“The just-announced $10 million Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize competition invites entrants to ‘develop a mobile solution that can diagnose patients better than or equal to a panel of board certified physicians.’”

On April 8, Karten Design introduced DownWithDenim.org, a system that addresses the childhood obesity epidemic in a new way.

The idea is simple: Offering kids free denim jeans to motivate them to adopt healthier behaviors, then providing them the resources and coaching to achieve their goals.

Today, childhood obesity is an epidemic fully recognized by the American public, with the help of activists like Michelle Obama and Jamie Oliver. In Los Angeles County, one in five students in 5th, 7th and 9th grades is obese. Clearly, we were dealing with a big problem—one that stems from other large problems like income inequity, limited access to healthy food and places to exercise, a food industry driven by subsidies, and personal values that favor unhealthy choices.

When Karten Design looked at what we, as a single design consultancy, could do to effect change, we honed in on motivation. There is a prevalence of information regarding health and diet, but a dry list of “do’s” and “don’ts” has not been enough to motivate children to adopt smart eating choices. Lacking in previous attempts at helping children maintain a healthy weight was intrinsic motivation.

Our conversations with Marsha, a cognitive nutritionist, gave us a better picture of how motivation works for teens and tweens. “You have to flip the switch,” Marsha told us. Kids think about the here and now. The promise of losing five pounds in a month falls flat in competition with a greasy piece of pizza in arm’s reach. But if they hang in there long enough, they will start to see tangible benefits to healthy diet and exercise. They feel better; they look better; they feel better about themselves, and all of the sudden a switch flips in their head and they internalize the importance of their new habits.

As we developed our solution, we looked for ways to help kids “flip the switch” earlier in the process. We wanted to provide a tangible benefit to healthy diet and exercise early in the game—something they could touch and feel when faced with temptations. This is what inspired the core components of the DownWithDenim.org system—fashion, free stuff and visualization.

When the DownWithDenim.org truck arrives in your neighborhood, overweight participants can visualize what they would look like at their healthy body mass index (BMI) via an augmented reality mirror. This visual is an initial motivating factor to get kids to sign up for the program, and be excited to take the first step towards a healthy body.

Overweight children receive a free pair of jeans in the next size down. Kids with a healthy BMI receive a pair of same-size jeans. For those who struggle to make healthy decisions, the jeans become something to aspire to and a tangible measure of their progress. With the help of coaches, mobile apps and a social network, participants begin the process of integrating healthier habits into their lives. They log their food and exercise. They interact weekly with virtual coaches who offer tips, menus, local resources and encouragement. Eventually, overweight participants lose weight. The jeans become a concrete representation of progress as, each day, the zipper begins to slide smoothly upward, inch by inch.

At that point, we’ve effectively flipped the switch. The program teaches the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle by being cognizant of what you eat and how much they exercise. The jeans and the truck make it not a maxim, but an experience that develops engagement and intrinsic motivation, which we hope will develop into life-long behavior changes.

Karten Design is working to make our program a reality. Please visit www.facebook.com/DownWithDenim.Org to follow the program’s evolution!