Suhas Dharwad
Download Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

HNH Kit - Redesigning Hospital-at-Home Toolkits Through Multi-Sensory Design

Course: Multi-Sensory Design

Program: Erasmus Exchange, University of Twente

Duration: 2-and-a-half months

Introduction

Hospital-at-Home (HaH) programs allow patients to receive hospital-level care in their own homes through portable diagnostic and medical devices. These toolkits include a portable blood pressure monitor, a weighing machine, thermometer, and glucometer. The current Hospital-at-Home toolkit reveals several issues in usability, safety, emotional support, and inclusivity. Devices rely heavily on visual interaction and standard plastic storage boxes that rattle and break during shipping. These limitations increase the risk of incorrect measurements and heighten anxiety for patients. To address these problems, our team redesigned the Hospital-at-Home toolkit by integrating visual, auditory, and tactile cues. By distributing feedback across multiple sensory channels, the redesigned toolkit aims to guide correct usage, reduce cognitive load, and support patient autonomy while blending into everyday domestic life.

Research

To understand the problem, we conducted an expert interview with Dr. Michael van Herwerden from Erasmus MC and carried out an extensive literature review. From this, we derived several key user insights. We found that older adults aged 60 to 80 managing conditions like heart failure often experience age-related declines in vision or hearing, making it difficult to interact with standard medical tools and complex apps. Sticking to a medical schedule is a major struggle, as nearly half of all people with long-term illnesses miss their daily checks simply because they forget. Furthermore, bringing clinical medical tools into private living spaces makes older adults feel like they are losing control over their home environment. When private space starts to feel like a doctor's office, it hurts their self-esteem and sense of independence. Based on these insights, we formulated our core research question: How might we redesign a Hospital-at-Home toolkit to be more accessible, safe, and usable for people with different sensory abilities in a home environment?

Solution

We created a solution that reimagines the Hospital-at-Home toolkit as a supportive, lifestyle-oriented companion rather than a piece of medical equipment. The design features a mobile unit with wheels and a trolley handle, allowing patients to move medical supplies easily without lifting heavy items. The exterior uses warm, familiar textures inspired by wood, while the inside features a flexible Velcro-based system that lets users customize their layout. To support users with varying levels of dexterity and vision, interactions always combine at least two senses:

  • Distinct foam shapes (heart-shaped for the blood pressure monitor, star-shaped for the ear thermometer, diamond-shaped for the pulse oximeter, and flower-shaped for the scale) are placed on device pockets so users can identify tools by touch.
  • Distinct dual-vibration patterns replace loud or high-frequency alarms to confirm when measurements start and complete.
  • Integrated on an iPad screen inside the box, a digital companion designed as an encouraging humanized stethoscope guides users step-by-step through voice guidance and large typography.

We also constructed a low-fi physical prototype out of cardboard, fabric, and foam sheets to evaluate the multisensory experience. While testing showed that replacing screen-heavy interactions with tactile and acoustic cues significantly reduced uncertainty, feedback from clinical stakeholders highlighted future improvements for moisture resistance in bathrooms, easier-to-clean materials, and lockable wheels for smaller spaces.

A turquoise cardboard box prototype sits open on a table, revealing a black Velcro-lined interior panel that folds out flat. The panel has reflective strips and several small pockets, each marked with raised foam shapes like hearts, stars, and diamonds to indicate where devices go. A tablet is mounted upright inside the box as a screen, while a digital blood pressure monitor and its cuff extend from one of the foam-marked pockets. - Image description generated with Be My AI.
Image 1 - Low‑fi prototype of the health-monitoring toolkit, with an open cardboard box, tablet screen, blood-pressure cuff, and Velcro interior marked by tactile foam shapes for each device pocket
A square Omron Viva digital weighing scale rests on a light-colored floor. The scale has a glossy black glass surface with four vertical metallic footplates near each corner. At the top center is a rectangular display; a thick, bright neon-green foam frame has been stuck around the screen so its edges can be easily traced by touch. Below the display are four touch buttons arranged in a diamond pattern and labeled SET, up arrow, down arrow, and a star-like symbol. Over the central ON/OFF button sits a raised foam cutout shaped like a simple flower, also in neon green, making the power control stand out tactually from the smooth glass surface. The OMRON logo and “VIVA” label are printed in white near the bottom. - Image description generated with Be My AI.
Image 2 - Omron Viva weighing scale adapted with a flower-shaped foam marker on the ON/OFF button and a raised foam frame around the display, so users can identify and operate the device by touch.
A low-fidelity prototype of a home health toolkit is placed on a long, light wooden table in a bright room. At the center is an open rectangular cardboard box standing on its short edge, with rough, unfinished brown cardboard visible inside and black tape reinforcing the corners. Mounted inside the opening is a tablet in landscape orientation, used as a digital companion screen. The interface shows a minimalist white background with a small gear icon in the top left, the time “8:24” in very large bold digits, and the text “Friday, 30.01.2026” underneath. Below the date is a row of square buttons for calendar days, from 25 to 31, with the current day highlighted and a label “measure 9:00 am” next to it. - image description generated with Be My AI.
Image 3 - Digital companion interface running on the iPad, presenting the day’s measurement schedule with large, high-contrast time and date elements for easy readability.

My Contribution

The primary contribution from my end was to evaluate and suggest solutions that don't depend on visuals. I thoroughly tested each and every device in the HNH Kit from a non-visual perspective and provided suggestions on how to make the kit accessible for people with blindness and visual impairment. Furthermore, I conducted a literature review to understand the different variations of solutions that could help in making the kit more accessible for people with different disabilities.

Read the full report here

Contact