Overview

The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) is a non-profit organisation committed to ensuring access to life-saving medicines in low and middle-income countries. Their efforts involve comparing countries based on their regulatory frameworks and providing detailed insights into crucial areas like biosimilars, in vitro diagnostics (IVD), intellectual property (IP), generics, and vaccines. The primary tool we developed, Regpal, serves as a comprehensive regulatory pathways library, enabling stakeholders such as lawyers, advocates, and non-profits to access crucial patent information and regulatory pathways across different countries.

Problem

While MedsPal, the previous platform, provided basic patent information, the user experience was outdated and lacked the functionality needed for complex comparisons across countries. Users needed more in-depth insights, especially around regulatory pathways for medicines, vaccines, and generics, and the ability to view specific country details with greater clarity.

Research & Discovery

We began by conducting a UX audit of MedsPal and interviewing users to understand the gaps in the current system. From our interviews with healthcare professionals, lawyers, and non-profits, we found:

Users wanted to compare countries across regulatory pillars.

They needed a clear regulatory pathways library to guide them through the process of getting medicines and vaccines approved.

Existing tools lacked clarity in visualizing regulatory data for complex use cases.

Building Reports for Informed Decision-Making

We redesigned the reporting feature to generate country-specific reports that provide comprehensive insights on the regulatory pathways for a medication’s approval process. This feature helps users share insights with colleagues and stakeholders more effectively.

• Table View: Redesigned for clarity and better data presentation.
• Map View: Enhanced to show regulatory data across countries.
• Filters: Added to help users refine search results easily.
• Compare Countries: New feature to allow side-by-side comparison of regulatory pathways across regions.
• Country Details by Four Main Pillars: Displayed comprehensive country-specific data across biosimilars, IVD, IP, and vaccines to provide a full view of regulatory landscapes.

Prototype

For the Regpal project, we started by creating prototypes to visualize how users would interact with the tool. These early designs focused on improving key features like country comparisons and the regulatory pathways library. We tested these prototypes with real users to gather feedback, which helped us refine the layout and functionality. Based on user input, we iterated on the designs, gradually moving to high-fidelity prototypes with more detailed visuals and interactions. This iterative approach ensured the final product would meet user needs while providing a seamless, intuitive experience.

Outcomes

The ongoing development of Regpal has been met with positive feedback. The platform will play a critical role in comparing country-specific regulatory frameworks and supporting access to life-saving medicines. It will help stakeholders across healthcare, law, and non-profits streamline access to regulatory information, ultimately enabling better decision-making and broader access to life-saving medications.

Key Takeaways

• User Needs Drive Innovation: By focusing on real user needs, we created tools that empowered professionals in healthcare access.
• Iterative Design Process: Testing low-fidelity prototypes gave us insights to refine our designs before development.
• Comprehensive Data Tools: Combining a regulatory pathways library with country comparison features made the platform far more valuable to users.

"Ready to elevate your product design? Let’s collaborate!"

If you want to chat about a opportunity — email me on tsiddhesh13@gmail.com.

I bring expertise in designing intuitive and visually appealing digital experiences. Whether you're looking to design a new website, build a new digital product, or establish a strong design system, I can help bring your vision to life. I'm also skilled in building websites in Framer, ensuring they are not only functional but also engaging and optimized for a seamless user experience.

Currently based in Mumbai — available for remote-friendly/on-site work.