Eli Lilly manufactures a drug therapy called Humatrope, a recombinant, injectable human growth hormone (HGH) created specifically for adults and children who naturally lack HGH. The team was asked to design a delivery device for kids that would improve the acceptance of the therapy over a previous device Lilly marketed for several years.  After spending time in the field with a wide variety of users, the design team learned that kids had far more sophisticated needs than they’d first imagined, and shifted the approach. By re-designing only seven parts from an existing injector, the team created HumatroPen 6, 12 and 24 (each number denotes a different dose concentration in milligrams) with accurate identification at-a-glance. The pens address young users’ desire for reassurance, trust and approachability, while appealing to their aesthetic tastes.

Contact: Katie Clark: [email protected]

Credit: Angie Kim, Kara Krumpe, Bob McCaffrey, Ken Focht and Jeewon Jung of IDEO; and Alison Dodd and William Morrison of Eli Lilly