Breg is a company based in Carlsbad, California, that provides sports medicine and rehabilitation products to more than one million patients annually. Its product line includes a variety of knee braces that aid in the rehabilitation of different types of injury. As time went on, management perceived that baby boomers exhibiting the early and middle stages of osteoarthritic (OA) pain was a growing niche market that was not being served adequately.

Breg wished to develop a brace that active baby boomers would wear as a sporty lifestyle choice rather than being accepted as a clunky medical necessity, a choice that would overcome user reluctance to wear it at an early stage of need. Aside from comfort, which was a definite challenge because of the mechanics and structural support components, it needed to have a style that complemented users’ lifestyles and was aligned with Breg’s visual brand language. Fortunately, Breg’s engineers had recently developed industry-leading single upright technology that provided stability with a brace on only one side of the knee, which was to become a game-changer in development of a more modern design.

Breg engaged MPE (Formerly Mindflow Design) for industrial design services to help them essentially transform the osteoarthritic knee brace from a medical product to a sleek lifestyle product. Our design strategy established the brace’s desired look and feel and made it really easy to use. To a bare mechanical feasibility concept, we added usability, styling and comfort. Developing a comfortable, stylish and functional solution involved close collaboration with Breg’s research and development, and marketing teams. The Breg Quantum OA Knee Brace is lightweight with a minimum profile for great user experience plus it has a discreet appearance that blends with attire. The brace is easy to apply with just three connection points and intuitive strap placement. A simple ratchet buckle design assists low-dexterity users. We created comfortable air venting and pad design, selecting strap materials with cloth-like texture. The padding system may be removed for easier cleaning. This brace represents an ideal marriage between aesthetic needs, and mechanical requirements.

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Medical User Interface Design

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