Everything at once
Every setting sat on one panel, so nothing stood out at first glance.
UX/UI · ACCESSIBILITY · MEDICAL DEVICE
A pressotherapy device blind therapists can run on their own
Touchscreen interfaces for CarePump, a family of lymphatic drainage devices by BardoMed.
01 THE PROBLEM
The best specialists could not use the device
Many lymphatic drainage specialists in Poland are blind or visually impaired. Yet pressotherapy devices rely on small screens and flat control panels, so those therapists could not operate them independently.
WHAT THE REVIEW OF THE OLD PANEL SHOWED
Mixed typefaces
Several fonts on one small panel made the interface feel improvised.
No direct way to a mode
Therapists had to click through every mode to reach the one they wanted.
Gone in daylight
Key backlighting disappeared in normal room light.
02 RESEARCH
An audit before the design
The work combined a review of the existing panel, a benchmark of six international systems, accessibility guidance and direct discussion with therapists.
Six competing systems
The clearest devices reduced the panel to start, mode, pressure and time.
Therapy shown, not described
An animated cuff with the active chamber highlighted explained progress without extra instructions.
Readable at arm’s length
The working rules became 18 pt text, touch targets of at least 40 px and captions for every icon.
Contrast without ambiguity
Black and white with one signal colour avoided dark violet or navy that could read as black.
03 THREE WAYS TO USE IT
One interface for three groups of therapists
Standard
Touchscreen control with the cuff drawn on screen and three dials for pressure, time and speed.
Visually impaired
A high-contrast mode with a black background, large white numbers and one signal colour.
Blind therapists
Voice prompts for every step, a cross keypad with directional markings and tactile cues on the casing.
Developed with Sebastian Biały — physiotherapist, manual lymphatic drainage specialist and President of the Polish Association of the Blind in Silesia.
04 INTERACTION MODEL
The cuff on the screen
Each chamber became a numbered bar, stacked in the same order as the physical cuff. Pressure sits beside the chamber, three dials control the treatment, and one pill starts or stops it.
Per-chamber pressure
Each chamber is a numbered bar. Tap it to set pressure; the fill shows the chamber inflating.
Three fixed dials
Pressure in mmHg, time in minutes and speed as a level always stay in the same place.
Advanced settings on demand
Gradient, interval and hold sit behind one outlined button instead of competing with daily controls.
05 EVERY STATE DESIGNED
From an empty program to a running therapy
Empty program
The cuff begins as an outline, so its shape already explains what will be configured.
Setting values
Numbers open in a large picker, readable at arm’s length and confirmed with one action.
Running
Chambers light up one by one; pause and stop remain in a predictable position.
06 EXPERT8 · PROFESSIONAL
Daily controls stay visible. Advanced settings wait.
The professional model supports individual pressure for eight chambers, fine parameter adjustment and reusable therapy programmes without putting every option on the first screen.
chambers with individual pressure
programmes can be saved on the device
pumping cycles available in one programme
ADVANCED SETTINGS AND HIGH-CONTRAST MODE
07 EXPERT8 · COMPONENTS AND LANGUAGES
One system across EXPERT8 variants
The professional interface scales its chamber bars for 6-, 8- and 12-chamber configurations. Translation changes words rather than layouts.
SEVEN LANGUAGE VERSIONS
PLENDEFRITHUNL
The same hierarchy was preserved across versions, including long therapy names and advanced settings.
08 MOVE · PORTABLE
The interface adapts to the selected cuff
MOVE is the smaller device for home and mobile therapy. Its portrait interface presents the chamber layout for the selected cuff.
09 THE PRODUCT
Recognised for designing with the user in mind
Voice prompts and tactile markings on the casing and keypad allow visually impaired therapists to operate the device without relying on the screen alone.
10 STATUS
Red Dot Design Award 2023
CarePump EXPERT8 received the Red Dot Design Award 2023 in Product Design. The jury highlighted a design concept developed around the people who operate it — including those who cannot see the screen.
MY PART
— UX/UI review of the old panel
— Accessibility rules for older and visually impaired users
— Interaction model for both devices
— UI for EXPERT8 and MOVE
— High-contrast mode and language versions
HANDED OVER
— Screens for every state
— Reusable component sheet
— Versions for 6, 8 and 12 chambers
— Polish and English interface copy