MiniMed
The MiniMed insulin pump was clearly the best on the market, yet lost its grip as diabetics risked their lives rather than using it. The company was in trouble. It took innovative and empathetic design to crack the mystery and bring the company back from the brink.
What We Did
The launch of the MiniMed 507 marked a turning point in diabetes treatment and insulin pump adoption. By 1998, annual sales of the MiniMed 507 skyrocketed to $171 million, a staggering 400% increase. By 2005, the MiniMed 507 dominated 80% of the doctor-prescribed insulin pump market. Medtronic recognized this triumph, acquiring MiniMed for over $3.6 billion. Today, Medtronic’s insulin pump sales surpass $1 billion annually. RKS modeled the look of the new MiniMed insulin pump after the modern pager, even providing a belt clip rather than hiding it in a pouch. At first glance, strangers would assume it was a high-end pager, and when the wearer was administering a dose, it simply appeared that they were responding to a page — that they were that busy, needed person. The perception of the pump was completely reversed, from one that fostered a social stigma to one that elicited a response of respect.
Psycho-Aesthetics™
Product design is more than just winning awards; it’s about creating emotional connections between the product and the user. Our human-centered approach, Psycho-Aesthetics, helps us understand and quantify these connections. Our design firm uses it to create innovative products, technologies, services, brands, and more. We aim to create solutions that are relevant and impactful, using our approach to grow our clients’ businesses. With Psycho-Aesthetics as our foundation, we work with clients to establish a common language that can be used throughout our relationship. We found the opportunity zone for Meritech to be in the enriched quadrant of the PA Map. The untapped opportunity within the market allowed for the development of a product that engaged the user while saving time. The opportunity zone for the MiniMed 507 was found to be in the empowered quadrant of the PA Map. The unit needed to boast the size, shape, colors, and design that allowed it to fulfill the potential engineered into it.
In 1987, MiniMed’s first pump, the 504-S, was released; it was smaller than earlier models on the market and superior in operation. The adoption of the device climbed rapidly; it was highly reliable and allowed diabetes patients to regain their independence and normalcy in their lives. But this was not to last. MiniMed’s market share soon was down to 40% and dropping; it was obvious that somewhere, there was a disconnect between the end user and MiniMed’s highly-regarded product. This is where RKS came in.
MiniMed executives enlisted the services of RKS Design to solve the mystery of the shrinking adoption of their key product. Traditional research techniques created a mountain of information, but more insight was needed to clarify why patients faced with potentially life-threatening consequences would choose not to adopt such a user-friendly, readily available
option. So, we took an untraditional approach.We had to become the patient to understand the patient. Four of our designers wore the MiniMed pump for several days, and this real-life insight into the experience of a pump user revealed that the pump was as efficient and user‐friendly as advertised. It wasn’t cumbersome; it wasn’t inconvenient. It did everything it was supposed to. But, every time one of our designers used the device in public, it attracted the attention of others, and this was when they experienced an epiphany: the stigma of being perceived as ill, weak, or sick was enough to put patients off using their insulin pump in public. Enlightened by this invaluable insight, our team embarked on a journey to revamp the already exceptional MiniMed pump. Our goal was to eradicate the social stigma, eliminate any public display of infirmity, and instead craft an uplifting emotional experience.
As soon as the new MiniMed hit the market, adoption rates soared. The best-performing unit on the market now boasted the size, shape, colors, and design that allowed it to fulfill the potential engineered into it. Consumer confidence was enabled by a design that was inspired by how they felt about using it —
and how they felt about themselves while using it.
Not only did our innovative approach enable hundreds of thousands of diabetes patients to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives, but our design thinking revolutionized a product and transformed an entire industry.
RKS Project Spotlight
MiniMed
The MiniMed insulin pump was clearly the best on the market, yet lost its grip as diabetics risked their lives rather than using it. The company was in trouble. It took innovative and empathetic design to crack the mystery and bring the company back from the brink.
What We Did
The launch of the MiniMed 507 marked a turning point in diabetes treatment and insulin pump adoption. By 1998, annual sales of the MiniMed 507 skyrocketed to $171 million, a staggering 400% increase. By 2005, the MiniMed 507 dominated 80% of the doctor-prescribed insulin pump market. Medtronic recognized this triumph, acquiring MiniMed for over $3.6 billion. Today, Medtronic’s insulin pump sales surpass $1 billion annually. RKS modeled the look of the new MiniMed insulin pump after the modern pager, even providing a belt clip rather than hiding it in a pouch. At first glance, strangers would assume it was a high-end pager, and when the wearer was administering a dose, it simply appeared that they were responding to a page — that they were that busy, needed person. The perception of the pump was completely reversed, from one that fostered a social stigma to one that elicited a response of respect.
Psycho-Aesthetics
Product design is more than just winning awards; it’s about creating emotional connections between the product and the user. Our human-centered approach, Psycho-Aesthetics, helps us understand and quantify these connections. Our design firm uses it to create innovative products, technologies, services, brands, and more. We aim to create solutions that are relevant and impactful, using our approach to grow our clients’ businesses. With Psycho-Aesthetics as our foundation, we work with clients to establish a common language that can be used throughout our relationship. We found the opportunity zone for Meritech to be in the enriched quadrant of the PA Map. The untapped opportunity within the market allowed for the development of a product that engaged the user while saving time. The opportunity zone for the MiniMed 507 was found to be in the empowered quadrant of the PA Map. The unit needed to boast the size, shape, colors, and design that allowed it to fulfill the potential engineered into it.
In 1987, MiniMed’s first pump, the 504-S, was released; it was smaller than earlier models on the market and superior in operation. The adoption of the device climbed rapidly; it was highly reliable and allowed diabetes patients to regain their independence and normalcy in their lives. But this was not to last. MiniMed’s market share soon was down to 40% and dropping; it was obvious that somewhere, there was a disconnect between the end user and MiniMed’s highly-regarded product. This is where RKS came in.
MiniMed executives enlisted the services of RKS Design to solve the mystery of the shrinking adoption of their key product. Traditional research techniques created a mountain of information, but more insight was needed to clarify why patients faced with potentially life-threatening consequences would choose not to adopt such a user-friendly, readily available
option. So, we took an untraditional approach.We had to become the patient to understand the patient. Four of our designers wore the MiniMed pump for several days, and this real-life insight into the experience of a pump user revealed that the pump was as efficient and user‐friendly as advertised. It wasn’t cumbersome; it wasn’t inconvenient. It did everything it was supposed to. But, every time one of our designers used the device in public, it attracted the attention of others, and this was when they experienced an epiphany: the stigma of being perceived as ill, weak, or sick was enough to put patients off using their insulin pump in public. Enlightened by this invaluable insight, our team embarked on a journey to revamp the already exceptional MiniMed pump. Our goal was to eradicate the social stigma, eliminate any public display of infirmity, and instead craft an uplifting emotional experience.
As soon as the new MiniMed hit the market, adoption rates soared. The best-performing unit on the market now boasted the size, shape, colors, and design that allowed it to fulfill the potential engineered into it. Consumer confidence was enabled by a design that was inspired by how they felt about using it —
and how they felt about themselves while using it.
Not only did our innovative approach enable hundreds of thousands of diabetes patients to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives, but our design thinking revolutionized a product and transformed an entire industry.
RKS Project Spotlight
Perimetrics
DISCUS DENTAL
