Empathy in Motion: A Wearable to Improve Walking Patterns in Parkinson’s Patients
Project Overview
Capio is a innovative medical device system that combines bone conduction headphones, Apple Watch integration, and mobile applications to deliver personalized rhythmic auditory and vibratory cues for Parkinson's patients.
As the lead UX/UI designer and researcher, I conducted the complete design process from medical research through validation, focusing on accessibility, multi-stakeholder needs, and evidence-based innovation.
My Role:
Lead Industrial/Product Designer
Status:
User Validation
Timeline:
2018-2020
Partner:
Fundación Parkinson de Colombia
The Problem
Parkinson’s Disease affects over 8 million people worldwide, leading to progressive motor dysfunction that severely limits independence. One of the most debilitating symptoms is freezing of gait (FOG) — a sudden inability to move that often causes falls, frustration, and emotional distress.
While medications and physical therapy offer partial relief, they often fail to address the loss of conscious motor control that impairs everyday mobility. Traditional mobility aids like canes or walkers don’t provide rhythmic or proprioceptive feedback, and many digital tools aren’t designed for aging users.
Critical User Needs
Support for Gait Initiation and Rhythm
Patients with Parkinson’s often struggle to start walking or maintain a consistent pace due to motor freezing. They need a tool that provides external rhythmic cues to help trigger and guide movement consciously.
Non-Invasive and Comfortable Wearability
Devices must be lightweight, discreet, and easy to wear without interfering with hearing, vision, or physical comfort
Simplicity and Independence in Use
Users and caregivers need a system that’s intuitive and low-effort to operate, with minimal setup and no complex interfaces.
The Design Process
Transforming a neurological challenge into a clinically validated innovation required rigorous medical research, iterative design, and clinical testing. My process balanced evidence-based decisions with bold technical innovation, ensuring every design choice served real patient needs.
Empathize & Define
Starting with with in-depth field research in collaboration with Fundación Parkinson Colombia: Through interviews, observations, and contextual inquiry, we mapped the daily challenges of patients, particularly those in Hoehn & Yahr stages 2–4.
The biggest pain point: freezing of gait that disrupted basic movement and led to anxiety and loss of autonomy.
:) Empathy Tools
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Full-day patient immersion experiences
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Home environment observations
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Emotional journey documentation
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Patient-family dynamic studies
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Caregiver burden interviews
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Therapy session shadowing
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Personal story collection
! Empathy Insights
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Loss of walking = loss of dignity and independence
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Fear of falling creates psychological barriers
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Music from youth triggers powerful emotional responses
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Family relationships strain under caregiving burden
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Small victories have massive emotional impact
Concept Development
Building on our research insights, we employed structured ideation methodologies to generate and refine solution concepts. Through collaborative brainstorming sessions, prioritization matrices, and rapid prototyping workshops, we explored various approaches to proprioceptive stimulation.
The breakthrough came when we identified bone conduction technology as the optimal method to combine rhythmic auditory stimulation with vibratory feedback while maintaining environmental awareness—critical for patient safety.
! Design Insights
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Dual stimulation (audio + vibration) more effective than single mode
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Environmental awareness essential for safety
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Solution requires ecosystem thinking beyond single device
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Accessibility must be designed-in, not added-on
* Development Tools
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Multi-stakeholder brainstorming sessions
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Solution prioritization matrices
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Rapid concept prototyping workshops
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Technical feasibility assessments
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Accessibility requirement mapping
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Clinical workflow integration planning
Prototype Testing
Our prototyping phase involved rigorous iterative development through six design sprints, systematically testing both hardware performance and clinical efficacy. We progressed from initial vibration-based concepts to sophisticated bone conduction prototypes, conducting rhythmic stimulation input testing to optimize frequency ranges and intensity levels. Clinical validation with eight patients through Fundación Parkinson de Colombia demonstrated significant improvements in gait capacity.
Technical Insights
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80-100 BPM optimal frequency range for gait improvement
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Bone conduction enables dual stimulation pathway
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Environmental awareness maintained during use
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Individual calibration essential for effectiveness
Testing Tools
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Clinical gait capacity measurements
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Rhythmic stimulation frequency testing
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Bone conduction hardware validation
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Patient usability testing sessions
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Multi-device ecosystem integration testing
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Safety and comfort assessments
The Final Product
Transforming a neurological challenge into a clinically validated innovation required rigorous medical research, iterative design, and clinical testing. My process balanced evidence-based decisions with bold technical innovation, ensuring every design choice served real patient needs.
Mobile App Welcome Screen
Guides users through complete therapy setup before first session.
Apple Watch Ready State
Displays device connection status and provides one-tap session start. Monitors movement patterns and sends therapy prompts based on activity levels and medication timing.
Active Session Display
Delivers real-time biometric feedback: session duration, current BPM, and step count. Tracks gait improvements and enables automatic or manual BPM adjustments during walking.
BPM Adjustment Interface
Provides precise tempo control (80-120 BPM) via Digital Crown. Saves personalized settings and learns patient preferences to suggest optimal BPM ranges for future sessions
Active Session Mobile Interface Displays comprehensive session metrics include:
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Daily goal progress (93% of 2500 steps)
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Real-time session time (0:43:15)
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Current BPM (60), and step count (2333).
Features manual BPM adjustment controls, auto-adjustment toggle for adaptive therapy, and music library sync for personalized rhythmic cues from patient's own music collection.
Apple Watch Active Session
Provides essential walking metrics with large, readable displays: session duration (2:34) and current BPM (100). Offers immediate session control with prominent "Stop" button and quick "Adjust" access for real-time tempo modifications during walking therapy.
Patient Dashboard Home
Provides personalized daily goal tracking with quick session resumption. Features navigation to statistics analysis, goal customization, progress sharing with caregivers/clinicians, and device settings configuration for comprehensive therapy management.
Activity Summary & Analytics
Displays detailed performance metrics across daily, weekly, and monthly views. Tracks comprehensive walking data and shows progress trends over time with percentage improvements to monitor therapy effectiveness and motivate continued engagement.
Emergency Response System
Mobile Fall Detection Alert
Detects sudden impact and orientation changes, initiating 10-second countdown to call designated caregiver. Features immediate emergency override and "I'm OK" cancellation with voice confirmation required.
Apple Watch Fall Detection
Integrates with Apple's fall detection, showing 10-second auto-call countdown. Provides "Call Now" and "I'm OK" options, balancing immediate emergency response with false alarm prevention.
Freezing of Gait (FOG)
Alert Monitors movement patterns and triggers alerts after 30 secondsof immobility. Recognizes Parkinson's-specific freezing episodes and notifies caregivers to prevent prolonged FOG events.
Emergency Help Access
Enables emergency calls via force touch + hold crown gesture. Prevents accidental activation while ensuring accessibility during motor difficulties for non-fall emergency situations.
The Impact
71% improvement on gait capacity
Across 8 patients with zero adverse effects, validating bone conduction technology as effective Parkinson's alternative occupational therapy
Medical innovation
First therapeutic device to combine rhythmic auditory stimulation with vibratory feedback through skull bone conduction, bypassing damaged brain regions to improve gait
Multi Stakeholder Solution
Created comprehensive ecosystem serving patients, caregivers, and clinicians with tailored interfaces and real-time data sharing for holistic care management
Global potential Impact: 8.5 million patients
Addresses 8.5 million Parkinson's patients worldwide, with projections reaching 25.2 million by 2050, offering scalable non-pharmacological intervention
Key Design Innovations
Bone Conduction Integration
Revolutionary combination of rhythmic auditory stimulation with vibratory feedback while maintaining environmental awareness - critical for Parkinson's patient safety.
Accessibility Excellence:
Comprehensive design for motor and cognitive limitations: large touch targets, high contrast, voice control, and progressive disclosure of complexity.
Awards & recognitions
National Award of Innovation in Medical Devices, 2018, ANDI
Bogotá, Colombia
The medical device Capio, developed by Juan Pablo Esquivel of ICESI University and designed to promote walking in patients with Parkinson's disease, was the winner of the National Award for Innovation in Medical Devices, the second edition of which was presented by the Chamber of Medical Devices and Health Supplies of the National Association of Entrepreneurs of Colombia (ANDI).
