Yatin Seth WORKBOOK
Oct 2024

  • Hi! I’m Yatin, I'm an Indian designer and researcher.

  • I am 23, and I enjoy systems thinking, exploring new materials, cybernetics, designing for sustainability and the research process.  

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Research /

SiRCLE (WIP)


Sagas of Sand(WIP)


kinICU


Diabets

Service design interventions to tackle solar panel circularity in India

Decoding resource acquisition & consumption

Tackling post-intensive care syndrome in the Indian context


Diabetes management app prototyping

2023-24


2022


2021



2021

Industrial Design /

Senseé


PayCase


Tost


pixel8

Empowering STEM education for the visually impaired

Contactless payments made easy


Redesigning a  sandwich grill inspired by SMEG

Designing a toy for open play

2022


2022


2021


2020

Skills

Gameboy: Replica Model

St. Dismas Cross: Replica Model

Rapid prototyping


CAID work

Replica of a Gameboy Classic


Replica of the St. Dismas Cross from Uncharted 4

Exploring eco-designs for medical devices through rapid prototyping

Digital fabrication and computer-aided industrial design work

2022


2022


2022



2022

Graphic Design /

dauch


Documentation of
Indigenous
Practices

Screen Prints

Incorporating packaging into the product design of cellophane tape

Documenting the process of khad-ka-pind from Rajasthan, India


Screen prints on paper

2021


2021



2020

Misc.

Photography

Sketchnotes

Misc

Film and digital photography


Sketchnotes for talks and workshops

Miscellaneous work

~2024

~2024

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kinICU /


Designing an interaction to reduce the symptoms of post-intensive care syndrome in both patients and family members.




Initial ideas and brainstorming


Initially, the four ideas I chose were all headed in very different directions, and I ended up trying to head in the general direction of healthcare in the emotional sense – that is, how to take care of relationships and mental wellbeing in the time to a health-related emergency.

Journey map and pain points


Click to zoom in. 


Understanding the different perspectives in person


Patients


  1. Patients of all age groups
  2. Patients who have been in the ICU due to:
  • COVID-19
  • Emergency cases
  • Long-term illness

Caregivers


  • Caregivers of ICU patients of different ages, at different stages in their lives 
  • Caregivers who were at different distances physically from the patient’s ward

Doctors


  • Critical care doctors and intensivists
  • General physicians




What is post-intensive care syndrome (PICS)?


Post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) is a collection of physical, mental and emotional symptoms that continue to persist after a patient leaves the intensive care unit (ICU).

Anyone who survives a critical illness that warranted admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) is susceptible to developing post-intensive care syndrome (PICS). The family and loved ones who provide the needed care and support can also develop some of the same mental and emotional symptoms of PICS. This condition is called PICS-family (PICS-F).

PICS impacts the quality of life of both the patient and family.

Symptoms


Brain (cognitive) symptoms:
  • Decreased memory, thinking problems
  • Difficulty talking
  • Forgetfulness
  • Poor concentration
  • Trouble organizing and problem solving
 Emotional symptoms:
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Decreased motivation
 Symptoms of PICS-F in caregivers may include:
  • Anxiety and/or depression
  • Feeling overwhelmed
  • Stress
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Grief
  • Changes in sleep patterns

Narrowing down

Arriving on an intervention area


During my research, I came across this perspective both in literature and from people I talked to. The experience post-ICU is integral to the overall wellbeing of the patient, with both relatives and patients telling me about their experiences after the ICU. I made a list of the post-ICU symptoms they experienced, both physical and mental.

For me working on helping both patients and their caregivers was a key part.


Going through medical research

Reading papers about the post-ICU experience and research done on the subject

Research previously done on the subject as well as medical papers about post-ICU problems helped me to finalize on this area as well, as it has a very big part in the patient’s long term wellbeing.

“..there is a need that can be met simply with minimal investment of time and funding but that addresses a gap in patient support that otherwise goes unmet.”

Peskett M, Gibb P. Developing and setting up a patient and relatives intensive care support group. Nurs Crit Care. 2009 Jan-Feb;14(1):4-10. doi: 10.1111/j.1478-5153.2008.00302.x. PMID: 19154305 “The authors found a higher risk of post-ICU syndrome attributable to the older age group (>50 years)…”

Mani, Raj Kumar. “Postintensive Care Syndrome: The Aftermath.” Indian journal of critical care medicine : peer-reviewed, official publication of Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine vol. 24,5 (2020): 293-294. doi:10.5005/jp-journals-10071-23437 “[There is] a high prevalence of psychological and physical symptoms among family members during and after an intensive care unit admission.”

McAdam, Jennifer L. RN, PhD; Dracup, Kathleen A. RN, FNP, DNSc, FAAN; White, Douglas B. MD, MAS; Fontaine, Dorothy K. RN, PhD, FAAN; Puntillo, Kathleen A. RN, DNSc, FAAN Symptom experiences of family members of intensive care unit patients at high risk for dying, Critical Care Medicine: April 2010 - Volume 38 - Issue 4 - p 1078-1085



The system


Features

1. Support groups


I talked to Dr Pamela Page, a nurse with 40 years of experience in both critical care and critical care education. She told me about her doctoral work, where she found out that most patients recall very little of their time in the ICU, but relatives have lived the whole event in a very real and ingraining manner. This can result in family members and survivors experiencing very different versions of the critical illness episode.

She works with the charity group ICUsteps in England, who produce patient-centered information resources as well hold meetings for ex-patients.
Drawing inspiration from the Alcoholics Anonymous organization as well, I wanted to also create a system of connected support groups (which require minimal funding and time) which would serve to provide a human connection as well as generate an environment where patients and family members can speak about their problems without fear of judgement, as everyone there is or has been in a similar situation before.


Drop-in meetings could be organized in a community center with minimal spending, ideally with a senior counsellor as well as members who over time become junior counsellors to guide the newer members. Keeping in mind the COVID pandemic, meetings could be held online within each support group based on the members’ time and needs.

2. Helpline numbers




A helpline number is essential for users in rural areas and those without smartphones, a demographic widespread in India, to provide them a way to get help or talk to a counsellor that can help them.

The helpline would function in a volunteering fashion – there will be a manager, volunteers and counsellors.

The volunteers can be taken from the pre-existing members, who have experienced the ICU themselves and would now like to help others. Their personal experience would make the call a more human experience rather than a mere helpline call. The counselors mentor the volunteers and conduct sessions regularly with the volunteers. In this way, service that is human-centered, soulful and empathetic can be provided to the callers.

The callers can also call just for queries about the system, in-person meetings close to them or any other questions they may have.


Pamphlets and posters



Mobile application


The mobile app is created in order to ensure that all services available will be shown to the users. It is created in a 2-way sense – there is a login for the family members, and they can use the app even while the patient is in the ICU undergoing treatment to write their diary and look up medical doubts.

After the patient is discharged, they can use the app which is linked to their family members’ account, hence being able to see what their caregivers noted during their ICU stay along with having access to the support that kinICU provides.
Lofi wireframing.
User flow.



Application prototype.


Important pointers:

  • All the services offered are multilingual and localized – a user in Kerala will, for example, have everything available to them in Malayalam.
  • Provision for non-smartphone users with helpline numbers and SMS serving the same purpose as a mobile app would.
  • Human and personal approach to problems faced by the patients and families.

About the design

The brand



The application


  • Simple, minimal aesthetic to make it easy to navigate even for a recovering patient. Simple instructions and minimal tabs to make it less confusing for the patient.

  • Buttons with high use displayed in both home page and search page in order to facilitate ease of use for a recovering patient.