Smart Sticker Integration for a Benralizumab Pen

Date: November 2022

Duration: 2 weeks

Role: UI/UX Designer

Focus: Enhancing patient usability and adherence for a single-use, disposable benralizumab pen through smart sticker technology.

Self-injection pens for chronic respiratory therapies such as benralizumab enable patients to manage treatment outside the clinic. However, patients frequently encounter challenges across preparation, injection, and adherence. Paper-based logs and memory-based routines often fall short, resulting in missed doses, improper drug handling, and heightened anxiety around injections.


In this project, I explore how smart stickers—low-cost, flexible electronic labels—could transform the injection experience. Unlike embedded electronics, stickers offer a scalable pathway to integrate feedback, guidance, and data capture without redesigning the pen itself.

Goals

  • Reduce common user errors around preparation, injection, and disposal.
  • Improve adherence by linking the device to a lightweight digital companion app.
  • Capture meaningful data for both patients and healthcare providers without overburdening users.
  • Explore the role of a physical/digital hybrid system (sticker + app + schedule card).

Key Patient Challenges

Through research and device analysis, I identified recurrent issues:

Preparation & Storage

  • Drug not warmed to room temperature
  • Misreading or ignoring expiration dates
  • Device left unrefrigerated too long
  • Injection Technique
  • Incorrect site selection or failure to rotate sites
  • Injection site not cleaned
  • Confusion with pen orientation and trigger mechanism
  • Removing pen too soon before dose is delivered

Adherence & Scheduling

  • Forgetting infrequent doses
  • Misunderstanding changes in dosing schedule after initial doses
  • Running out of medication without reordering
  • Attempting to reuse a single-use pen
  • Emotional & Cognitive

Burdens

  • Needle anxiety
  • Uncertainty whether dose was delivered correctly
  • Difficulty keeping accurate records for HCP (Healthcare Professional) discussions

Concept: Smart Sticker for the Benralizumab Pen

A single-use, disposable smart sticker applied to the injector pen collects simple drug and device usage data, supports patients in preparation and adherence, and facilitates monitoring for clinicians.
The sticker integrates:

  • Low-profile sensors (for time, temperature, hold duration)
  • Liquid crystal thermometer strip (for passive drug readiness feedback)
  • QR code (for app-based verification)
  • Small printed battery (for timing functions)
  • NFC microcontroller (for data transfer)

User Journey

  1. Remove pen from fridge → Smart sticker shows temperature feedback (liquid crystal strip).
  2. Scan pen with phone camera → App verifies drug type, expiration date, consistency, and temperature using image processing.
  3. Inject → Pen pressed against skin; hold for 15 seconds. Sticker tracks hold duration.
  4. Transfer data → Tap pen against back of phone; NFC transfers injection event data (hold time, timestamp).
  5. Collect sticker → Removable part of sticker placed on schedule card, marking injection site used and creating a physical log.

Component Layout & Functions

  • Temperature Feedback: Passive. App can scan the strip for digital logging.
  • Drug Verification: Phone camera image processing confirms drug identity, expiration, and visual quality.
  • Injection Timing: Sticker start sa timer to log “time since injection.”
  • NFC Data Transfer: communicates stored data 
  • Printed Battery: Provides  power source 
  • Sticker Token: Removable section of the sticker doubles as a “dose token” collected on a schedule card for site rotation tracking and backup logging.

App Integration

The companion app could extend the experience by:

  • Reminding patients to warm the drug before use.
  • Guiding site rotation with visuals and history logs.
  • Confirming injection hold duration and completion.
  • Scheduling next doses and setting reminders.
  • Providing caregivers or HCPs with adherence insights.
  • Offering reassurance prompts to reduce needle anxiety.

Evaluation Criteria

I evaluated concepts across:

  • User Benefit – Directly addressing usability and adherence pain points.
  • Integration Complexity – Minimal disruption to pen design and manufacturing.
  • Cost Feasibility – Keeping sticker viable as a disposable add-on.
  • Reliability – Ensuring patients are not penalized by battery/NFC limitations.
  • Emotional Support – Building confidence, not complexity, into the routine.

Reflections & Learnings

The smart sticker exploration revealed clear potential to:

  • Enhance drug preparation accuracy with low-cost sensors.
  • Improve adherence and site rotation with hybrid physical/digital logging.
  • Provide emotional reassurance during a stressful self-injection moment.
  • Bridge the gap between patient self-care and clinician oversight.
    Limitations remain around battery cost, data transfer timing, and camera scan reliability, but even partial implementation could significantly improve patient experience with minimal redesign.

This project gave me a framework for exploring “low-cost digital health add-ons” that enrich existing medical devices, combining practical functionality with emotional support.