Healthy Innovators TV, a weekly live panel, brings health tech innovation to our screens. This week, host Brian Shrier, Founder at GIANT Health, invites special guests Dane Whitehurst and Hamish Grierson to talk about the impact of brand design in healthcare, and what the future of healthcare could look like.

Dane Whitehurst, Creative Director at Burgopak, discusses how he ‘accidentally’ fell into packaging having studied product and industrial design at university. Despite having not intended to work in this sector, Whitehurst claims to love the packaging industry, namely because of the intersecting disciplines inherent in the industry; branding, material, production techniques, and of course the human experience. Grierson, however, began his journey with Thriva with a passion for healthcare, specifically the autonomy of our own health. Hamish Grierson, CEO & Co-Founder of Thriva, had an aim to provide a service to encourage people to be actively invested in their health. With a background in fintech innovation and lifestyle brands, Grierson has come to understand the importance of branding and innovation in healthcare.

Thriva first showed an interest in Burgopak when Grierson received a product that was packaged in a Burgopak solution. After essentially ripping the pack to shreds in search of the designer, he found Burgopak’s logo and reached out. Intrigued to understand why he was keen to change their current packaging, Shrier asks about the interest in Burgopak. Grierson opens up about how accurate sampling and even simply receiving samples is hugely impacted by the in-home user experience. What put the fuel in his belly was the apparent utilitarian and condescending state of current testing kits. It is a service designed for doctors, and Thriva thrives for a patient-centric service. Thriva collaborated with Burgopak to design a pack with simple and clear instructions, whilst also engaging the customer with a friendly touch. An example of their collaboration is shown on the episode. Whitehurst points out the clear instructions and numbered stages in manageable chunks. ‘There is a start, a middle and an end’, this switches the narrative from doctor-to-patient, to adult-to-adult. It also can help people feel more at ease with home testing, and more likely to come back to it.

The importance of regular and accessible testing is something Grierson feels passionate about, and he opens up about how lack of testing has affected his friends and family. It’s not so much that they failed to get help when they needed it, it’s that they didn’t know they needed help until it was too late. This is where the idea of reactive vs preventative healthcare comes in. Grierson’s vision is that regular testing can help spot things before they become out of hand, they are then more easily treatable. It is pointed out that the healthcare system is often stained with the strict dichotomy that is you are either well or you are unwell. Thriva’s plan to make people more invested in their own health allows healthcare to be about preventative measures as well reactive.

This episode joins healthcare innovation with user experience design, and creates a powerful discussion surrounding the future of healthcare, and how Burgopak will continue to evolve with the industry. The Burgopak Thriva collaboration is an excellent example of how branding and healthcare can come together, and ultimately create health autonomy for all. To watch the episode in full visit https://burgopak.info/GIANT_INTERVIEW, and dive deeper into the power of packaging in enhanced remote health experiences.