Improving Adherence to Ongoing Treatments in Young Adults Through Design

Medication non-adherence is a major issue and young adults have unique circumstances leading to non-adherence. User-centered design methods and a constructivist approach were used to address this issue through exploratory, qualitative research. An initial review of the literature framed the project scope and identified knowledge on the issues/interventions for medication adherence. Interviews were conducted with individuals in the target demographic to identify their current approach and issues with medication adherence. Information collected informed co-design sessions, which gathered information on users needs and desires to improve adherence. Results from the literature review, interview and co-design sessions were analyzed to create design considerations for a tool that assists in medication taking for the target demographic. These considerations include functional, experiential and healthcare system guidelines. Findings of this study are an initial step towards developing a solution to this issue and the methods used can be applied to future research.