DOES IT NEED TO LOOK MEDICAL?

As someone with a disability that is hard to spot from the outside, I'm often asked about the challenges presented by the “invisible nature of MS” and how to better make it clear to those around you that things are going on that they can’t always see.

But the thing is, having things around you that constantly remind you that you are “disabled” lowers your confidence and makes you feel like you are.

Take medication bags/pouches/cases, for example, are often ugly, cheap and sometimes surprisingly impractical. Making them difficult and “embarrassing” to use. So as a product developer and designer, it is always in my mind to make myself medication carries that acknowledge the practical challenges of living with MS or many other similar conditions, a design for those that need one, a product that can be simple, practical and aesthetically pleasing (should be obvious, right?)

Of course, it does help that I have a set of standardised product shapes already designed as a starting point! The great thing about this for me is two things;
1. Medication cases don't need to look medical. Giving you the choice about how much you reveal about your condition
2. It shows the incredible versatility of the Assemble product range and that the fabric around the shape of the product itself, makes the product. This was not to hide, but to acknowledge the practical challenges of living with a medical condition and show that product design for medication does not need to look medical!

/ Nina Falk, Co-Founder Kalopsia Collective