interactive
Sisu
S
Role
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Research
Visual research
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Design
responsive website and emails
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Development
responsive emails
Small steps to achieve a productive medical assessment
What
Sisu is a tool that seeks to assist with documenting and keeping track of the physical symptoms of patients with chronic illnesses.
Sisu is a Finnish concept described as determination and resilience. An aspect that is incredibly important for people with chronic illnesses.
Why
Chronic illness is an interesting yet complex area of study as it like humans is a variable. It is broad and can range from the obviously visible to invisable. Making important it to document symptoms that creep up and provide local resources.
Hearing
descriptions
Vision
option for audio description
Mobility
Elements that you have to interact with easy to reach
Who
Sisu is primarily targeted toward the patient. This tool's secondary beneficiary is medical professionals dealing with the patient
These fictional personas are based on real people. They illustrate some of the frustrations.
Mood
white — positive
grey — neither positive or negative
black — negative
Odin
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Middle Manager
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Diagnosed 3 years ago
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Determined, curious, frustrated
Need
A way to track illness
Privacy
Sigh...
Odin took a long time to somewhat accept that he has an progressive illness. His illness has been misdiagnosed and has created a distrust in the medical field.
With no outward visual cues to help him or others see the illness it has become pretty challenging.
He find it is upsetting that he would have to constantly explain that no he can’t do something.
He compares it to coming out of closet. "You have to explain things often to the same people about the same things and that gets exhausting. Sigh... I don't see it as my duty to explain anymore. It simply is NOT THEIR BUSINESS."
'MEDICAL professionals knowing... now that might be helpful. I constantly get asked by medical professionals to give an update but I have no clue how to give an update. Some things disappear and come back. Lots of times I don't quite remember. But an update to non-medical professionals...'
Eleanor
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Computer Systems Administrator
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Diagnosed 8 years ago
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Exhausted, irritated and open-minded
Need
Resources
Ways to track illness
Ways to adapt products
"Sometimes I ooze the awesomeness of Clarissa Mullery*"
She started to notice that she would have to adapt to use a product or a service more and more.
Simple things she used to do like carrying drinking cup, pots and pans without spilling its content. Tinkering in the kitchen along with her fluctuating energy levels has made certain daily activities hard to accomplish.
Eleanor is very driven and keen to find a place with ideas of how to adapt to something that she can’t use in the “normal” way. I's a challenge but also frustrating. Others can simply pick it up and use simple things... I'm excluded from the "simple".
Exclusion of products minimises her effectiveness.
She is also disgusted with the hoops she would have to jump through, within a system that doesn’t provide guidance mentally and physically. A resource with info local resources and how to acess them would be helpful at the beginning of the diagnosis and in the future.
She morosely says "It's not much to ask right?"
*
Clarissa Mullery is a disabled forensic analyst from Silent Witness tv series. A character that is competent with a dry sense of humour.
Noa
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Former personal assistant
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Diagnosed 5-10 years ago
Other's perception
Need
Breathing exercises
Ways to adapt products
Privacy
"Disabled...
ugh... such a ghastly word."
"It is the gp’s job to know. Not mine."
Noa rolled up in a wheelchair followed by a trail of sloshed boiled water on the floor. Water from the kettle to serve tea. The mess apparently unnoticeable by her.
For a long time it was not real to her.
"I commanded respect in the past. The life of everything." "This... this... Disability is only linked to weakness and shamefulness." This thing is a constant reminder that I don't fall under the category of normal.
This thing cramps my style...