A redesign of the prescription system; from packaging to delivery.

RSA Student Design competition submission.

A redesign of the prescription system; from packaging to delivery.

RSA Student Design competition submission.

The Opportunity

Every year in the UK, there are 237 million dispensing errors and £300 million of NHS drugs are wasted, highlighting systemic inefficiencies.

Millions of pills are mismanaged, patients with physical or cognitive impairments struggle with packaging, and sustainability has been largely overlooked. Blister packs dominate for their low cost, protection, and dosage control, but their recycling challenges contribute to the 8 million tonnes of plastic entering the oceans annually.

There is an opportunity to develop a product and service that reduces errors by medical professionals, improves patient accessibility and adherence to repeat prescriptions, and offers a more sustainable, user-friendly alternative to blister packs.

Process:

Research, ideation, prototyping, usability testing, branding, industrial design, UX/UI design.

Duration:

3 months

I developed this further from a Group Project

Introducing Sanvia

Sanvia transforms the repeat prescription experience through a dual approach: an intuitive app that empowers users through education and pharmacist access, and reimagined pill packaging designed for accessibility and sustainability. A redesigned supply chain and prescription service tackles medication aherence, waste and errors.

Simplified Prescription Management

After securely connecting to your NHS account, the app lets you manage all prescriptions in one place. It provides clear, NHS-backed information to support informed decisions and understanding. By simplifying medication management, the app reduces confusion, removes barriers, and support adherence.

Connected Care

Create a direct link with your local pharmacist, fostering trusted relationships between patients and pharmacy teams. With prescription dispensing automated, pharmacists now have more time to collaborate with GPs, ensuring prescriptions are accurate, appropriate and aligned with each patient's care plan.

Promoting Medication Adherence

The app works alongside physical prescription packaging to support daily medication use. Patients scan the QR code on each pack to track doses, with notifications providing timely reminders. This improves adherence to care plans and lets pharmacists monitor patterns, enabling constructive discussions with patients and GPs about medication use and adjustments.

Simplified Prescription Management

Connected Care

Promoting Medication Adherence

Simplified Prescription Management

After securely connecting to your NHS account, the app centralises your prescriptions with clear, NHS-backed information. Aiming to simplify management, reduce confusion, and support adherence.

Rip-off tabs for time-specific medication access.

Recyclable Syntegon-coated paper with high-performance barrier protection for the medication.

Scan QR code to track prescription adherence.

Close up shot of pill packs in delivery box.

Rip tabs. Take the right dose.

Recyclable Syntegon-coated paper.

Scan to track medication adherence.

Design Process

Research & Insights

We began with secondary research and an interview with a clinical pharmacist to establish a foundational understanding and identify key challenges. This helped refine the focus into five critical areas:

Incorrect Prescriptions

A GMC-commissioned study (2012) found that 1 in 20 GP prescriptions contained an error, including wrong drugs, allergy oversights, or incorrect doses/strengths.

Dispensing Errors

37% of community pharmacists reported feeling 'very stressed' at work, highlighting the impact of high workloads and systemic inefficiencies.

Polypharmacy

In the UK, over a third of people aged 80+ take eight or more medications daily, and over-75s receive twice the average monthly prescriptions compared to those under 45 (Age UK).

Patient Adherence

Around 50% of treatment failures are linked to non-adherence, with over half of older adults not taking medications as prescribed.

Physical Impairments

46% of people report difficulties opening medical blister packs, creating barriers to effective medication use.

Empathising with the user

Prescribed medication - scenario of use.

Persona 2

Persona 1

Persona 2

Persona 1

Through direct observation, we identified key barriers in blister pack design. Closure mechanisms and pill dimensions pose significant accessibility challenges, which are compounded by reduced hand strength, visual impairments and cognitive limitations.

Design Principles

Consolidating research into 3 key design principles:

Accessible for All

Make medication easy to manage, even with limited hand strength, vision, or cognitive challenges.

Simple and Error-Free

Simple and
Error-Free

Streamline dispensing and daily routines to reduce mistakes for patients and professionals.

Sustainable by Design

Minimise waste and improve recyclability without compromising safety or dosage accuracy.

Ideation & Prototyping

This phase focused on rapid iteration across physical and digital touchpoints. Refining the app and packaging through low-fidelity prototyping and experience testing.