Kite and Tapp impressed the 63-member jury, made up of independent experts from all over the world, with their potential to improve the lives of millions of patients and their innovative combination of engineering and experience design. The competition was intense: over 6,400 entries were submitted from 54 countries in the hope of receiving the iF DESIGN AWARD seal of quality.

“These accolades are a tribute to the skill of our multidisciplinary design teams,” said David Robinson, Head of Design Group UK at Cambridge Consultants. “Our people are motivated by creating breakthrough innovation and challenging norms. We have world-class engineers, designers, scientists and consultants, working with outstanding facilities and processes. These are harnessed to create products that achieve the seemingly impossible, transforming our clients’ businesses.” 

Kite smart insulin port is a concept innovation designed to improve the lives of those living with diabetes, reducing the burden of injecting insulin. Kite replaces 30 to 40 weekly injections with a soft cannula insertion, turning any injection device into a ‘smart’ device, by automatically capturing the insulin dose. The Kite device, which attaches to the skin, packs wireless connectivity and dose capture technology into a tiny envelope, bringing life changing intelligence at an affordable cost to patients. Most importantly, Kite catalyses the conversion of simple devices such as syringes into sophisticated smart systems.

Tapp is a concept that addresses the problem of adherence to medication in those with chronic conditions and is designed to offer long-term engagement through the science of human behavioural change. The design is a low-cost sticker with integrated flexible electronics and passive NFC used in conjunction with an app, specifically designed to address the key tenants of behavioural change; habit formation, goal reinforcement and social motivation.

The Tapp sticker is added to a patient’s drug blister pack and the app is downloaded. The app allows patients to create and visualise goals, then provides digital nudges to take medication, reducing the cognitive burden of their therapy. When a patient takes their medication, a track is broken on the printed circuit. Using a simple tap interaction, patients can record that they have taken their medication and work towards their goals. Our team worked closely with a behavioural scientist to define a feature set that could offer long-term engagement with a patient.