Making medication reminders harder to ignore
2026 · Re-Med · Product Design
Tools
Figma · Figma Make · Prototyping Materials
Timeline
March – April 2026
Team
4 students
Role
Product Designer · Prototype Designer
Introduction
Re-Med started from a simple problem: medication reminders are often designed as phone notifications, but those alerts can be easy to dismiss and do not create much physical connection to the routine itself.
Our team explored whether a reminder could feel more present by engaging multiple senses instead of relying on a screen alone.
We designed Re-Med, a handheld medication reminder box that uses light, sound, vibration, and touch to signal when it is time for a dose. After taking the medication, the user presses a physical button to confirm it, creating a small but intentional action within the routine.
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Ideation
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Making
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Testing
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Connected Design
The Challenge
For many seniors, keeping track of medication can become difficult when the reminder system depends only on digital alerts. A notification may appear, but it does not always create a strong physical connection to the task, and caregivers may still be left wondering whether the medication was actually taken.
The challenge was to create a reminder that felt noticeable without being overwhelming, simple enough to fit into a daily routine, and physical enough to encourage a more intentional response.
We also wanted the interaction to work through several senses at once so the user would not have to rely on only sight, sound, or a phone screen.
Designing With the Senses
Re-Med was designed as a multisensory reminder system, with each part of the interaction serving a different purpose.
Visual: coloured lights signal medication times or alert levels.
Haptic: vibration and the soft fabric surface create a physical reminder that can be felt directly.
Auditory: sound adds another cue in case the user does not notice the light or vibration.
Kinaesthetic: the user has to pick up the box, hold it, and press a button after taking their medication.
Together, these cues were meant to make the routine feel more deliberate and harder to ignore than a standard phone notification.
Connecting the Physical + Digital Experience
The physical box was only one part of the system.
We also designed a caregiver app concept that could receive updates from the Re-Med device. The idea was that the box would connect through Bluetooth, and pressing the confirmation button would update the caregiver dashboard in real time.
The app was designed to show whether a dose was Taken, Pending, or Missed, along with upcoming medications and recent activity. This created a simple feedback loop between the person taking the medication and the caregiver supporting them.
The final concept connected a physical routine with a digital record, allowing the reminder to stay with the user while the caregiver could check progress remotely.
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