Unveil
Designing for Dignity and Comfort in the Cancer Journey
Unveil was born out of a desire to ease a challenging experience for those undergoing chemotherapy. Designed as an adaptive clothing solution, Unveil combines function and sensitivity, offering a thoughtful garment for people living with a portacath. Recognised with the Red Dot Design Award for Best of the Best in Fashion Design, Unveil provides dignity, comfort, and ease for those in treatment.
Project details
Client
Red Dot Design Award
Project
Unveil
Year
2016
Services
UX Research Participatory Design Inclusive Design
Credits
Designers:
Mariana Pedroza
Javier Rebolledo
Alonso Benavidez
Problem Statement: Addressing an Overlooked Need
Traditional clothing can often hinder, rather than help, those with a portacath, as many designs fail to account for ease of access, comfort, or the emotional challenges patients face. This oversight can create unnecessary discomfort and stress, especially in clinical settings, where garments are regularly removed or adjusted. Unveil’s mission was to address this gap by designing a garment that patients would feel comfortable in and that healthcare professionals could easily work with.
Key Personal Contribution: Leading Participatory Design
In Unveil, I owned the participatory design process, creating a bridge between patients and healthcare providers to ground the design in real experiences and practical needs. By conducting participatory workshops, I brought patients, caregivers, and medical staff into the process early on, letting their voices guide key design decisions. This approach allowed us to gain firsthand insight into how users would interact with the garment, what accessibility challenges they faced, and what comfort features mattered most.
Leading this collaborative approach added a unique empathy-driven layer to our work. We heard directly from patients about the stress of clinical routines and from healthcare providers on the practical aspects of garment accessibility. This insight influenced critical elements of Unveil’s design, from fabric choices to garment structure, ensuring the product was inclusive and responsive to the needs of those it aimed to serve.
Hypotheses:
How Might Clothing Support Physical and Emotional Comfort?
We hypothesised that an adaptable, easy-access garment could enhance both the physical and emotional well-being of individuals undergoing treatment. We believed that by making the garment comfortable, accessible, and dignified, Unveil could support a sense of normalcy and comfort during a challenging time.
An In-Depth Approach to UX Research and User Needs
I led our UX research, designing and conducting interviews with patients, nurses, and family members, whose input revealed how conventional clothing often exacerbated discomfort in treatment. Through this research, we discovered that patients felt disempowered by clothing that didn’t serve their needs. These insights highlighted the opportunity to create a garment that was functional, but that also communicated empathy through design.
Through analysing our findings, we identified key requirements:
Unveil needed to ensure ease of access for healthcare staff
Maintain comfort and warmth
Make patients feel confident and at ease
We distilled these insights into a clear set of design principles centered on inclusive design, focusing on adaptability, comfort, and dignity.
Solution / Impact: A Garment That Goes Beyond Function
The result was Unveil—a garment designed with thoughtful access points for portacath use, soft fabrics to reduce irritation, and a stylish form that preserved dignity. For patients, Unveil offered comfort and control, making the treatment experience less clinical and more personal. For healthcare providers, it became a practical tool, easing patient interactions by offering immediate access.
To validate Unveil’s design, we conducted usability testing with patients and healthcare providers, using iterative rounds of feedback to refine the garment. This testing confirmed our core assumptions: patients valued the design’s comfort and functionality, and medical staff appreciated the ease of access. Insights from these tests allowed us to make final adjustments to fabric and fit, solidifying Unveil as a balanced, user-centered solution.
Beyond Unveil—Expanding Inclusive, Empathy-Driven Design
Unveil’s success proved that inclusive design could make a profound difference in users’ lives. Looking ahead, this project is a testament to the power of User Research, and its approach will inform future projects focused on healthcare. We aim to expand the principles of Unveil into other healthcare products, further supporting comfort, dignity, and inclusivity through thoughtful design solutions.
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