01 — STARTING POINT
Reusable control tower
The first concept guided every connection step through one reusable device. It offered control, but added buttons, handling, maintenance, and a demanding cleaning routine.
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Transcutan
Reframing a dialysis connection for safer home treatment
I led the design direction for a cassette-based concept, using patient and nurse validation to shift the team from reusable complexity toward a simpler single-use system.
My work
Role: Product Design Lead
Team: Me, 5 Engineers, Product Manager, Product Specialist, QA
Focus: Usability validation · Medtech · Product direction
Outcome: Shift toward single-use cassette system
Problem
A critical connection repeated several times per day
Peritoneal dialysis requires patients to connect and disconnect their dialysis system several times per day. Each repeated interaction adds cognitive load, handling steps, and hygiene risk around the catheter connection.
Core idea
Reframing the body interface
The core idea was to replace the exposed tube-based interface on the stomach with a cleaner port. This created the foundation for a cassette-based system that could guide connection and disconnection with less direct handling.
Research
Research revealed where risk appeared
To understand where the biggest risks appeared, we mapped patient stories, nurse feedback, treatment steps, and usability observations into one shared research synthesis.
THREE INSIGHTS
01
Cleaning created uncertainty
The reusable concept introduced concerns around hygiene and maintenance.
02
Key tasks were difficult
Testing revealed confusion around critical connection steps.
03
Simplicity mattered most
The findings pushed the concept toward fewer steps and less cleaning.
Validation
Validation changed the direction
We tested the concept with nurses and patients to understand whether the reusable system was safe, understandable, and realistic to maintain at home.
Nurse feedback
Cleaning the reusable component created hygiene uncertainty.
Patient testing
Users struggled with key steps in the connection process.
Design decision
The concept shifted toward a simpler single-use cassette system.
Concept evolution
From reusable complexity to single-use clarity
The concept evolved through three directions. Each step reduced interaction complexity, cleaning demands, and contamination risk while moving closer to a safer home-treatment solution.
02 — SIMPLIFIED DIRECTION
A smaller reusable cassette
The second direction reduced controls and separated the housing from the treatment interface. The interaction became easier to understand, but repeated cleaning remained unresolved.
03 — FINAL DIRECTION
Single-use clarity
The final direction made the cassette itself disposable. A focused two-button sequence reduced handling around the critical connection point and removed the need to clean a reusable treatment component.
How it works
A guided lid exchange around the critical connection point
The cassette system guides the patient through connection and disconnection by replacing the port lid in a controlled sequence, reducing direct handling around the critical connection point.
Start treatment
01. Attach treatment cassette
02. Press orange
03. Move forward
04. Press white
05. Catheter connected
DIALYSIS ONGOING
End treatment
01. Attach closure cassette
02. Press orange
03. Move forward
04. Press white
05. Catheter connected
Final direction
Single-use cassette system
The final direction moved toward a single-use cassette system that reduced cleaning demands, direct handling, and contamination risk around the critical connection point.
Result
Reduced cleaning demand
No reusable tool to clean between treatments.
Less direct handling
The cassette guides interaction around the port.
Clearer interaction model
The product uses a simple button sequence to support correct use.
Roadmap
A phased path from add-on to new standard connection
To make the concept commercially realistic, I presented a phased roadmap showing how the product could move from a compatible add-on to a fully integrated connection system.
Now
Compatible add-on
Faster time to market
Works with today’s dialysis setup and lowers adoption risk.
Integrated system
Lower adoption friction
Improves the experience while still fitting existing infrastructure.
FUTURE
New standard connection
Long-term product opportunity
Replaces the old connection over time and opens up licensing potential.
Outcome
A clearer and safer product direction
The project shifted from a complex reusable tool toward a simpler single-use cassette direction, with a clearer interaction model and stronger alignment between usability, safety, and business opportunity.
One of my biggest learnings was that evidence alone is rarely enough. To influence direction, arguments need to be adapted to the audience and delivered at the right moment.