ADG began work on a stealth venture in respiratory care that rethinks how we serve patients who need good air, including those with chronic respiratory disease.

Opportunity: Building the Future of Better Breathing

Aesthetic Dimension Group (ADG) partnered with a client to tackle unmet patient needs in respiratory health while building upon the client’s existing capabilities and product lines.

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Strategy: Ventures That Solve For Today and Tomorrow’s Problems

We began with a series of qualitative interviews speaking to patients and clinicians from across the respiratory health landscape in the United States, including a palliative specialist, pulmonologist for elite athletes, and nurse practitioner specializing in Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM). ADG found that:

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• Patients suffering from certain respiratory diseases feel guilt and have internalized responsibility for their illness. They feel intense social stigma, especially post-COVID, and will even ignore early symptoms to avoid being diagnosed and labeled.
• RPM is not enough. Clinicians want clear, actionable data that reduces their burden while offering patients better quality of life.
• Respiratory diseases affect all areas of a patient's life. We heard stories of sufferers getting winded grabbing the mail or only being able to sleep on a recliner with eight pillows.

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Based on qualitative and market research, we then developed concepts. We took basic concept sketches back to the patients and clinicians for feedback and perspective. We explored business strategy, trends shaping the medical care landscape, models of care, and reimbursement and compliance considerations.

Design: Better Breathing At Home and When Active

With our insights in tow, ADG worked closely with the client. To reach their desired market size and avoid stigma and increase adoption, we aimed for a product that would be appealing to the general population while also helping people with respiratory diseases (as typical respiratory solutions had poor adherence and were highly stigmatized).

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We began by mapping the design principles we needed every concept to follow, such as actionable data for clinicians and ‘better air for all’. We built worlds and personas set in the future and ideated solutions for these future individuals' pain points. We synthesized these across today’s patient journey and mapped opportunities that served both individual needs and systemic challenges.

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We spent time honing the desirability, viability and feasibility aspects of each concept and narrowed to three concepts we felt most balanced risk and reward. Next, we conducted a quantitative survey with a statistically significant population of patients to assess the concept’s desirability. Our focus paid off: patients desired all three concepts. With that validation, we knew we were ready to pitch.

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Impact: A Winning Venture for Driving Patient Satisfaction

The joint team pitched to the company’s executive leadership and board. We delivered the concepts (with projected market sized backed by our research), technological innovations, patents and other indications of what would be possible in the target timeframe.

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One of the concepts focused on empowering individuals to move better, breathe easier, and find more joy in pushing themselves and engaging with the world. We were able to tell a compelling story that was supported by business models, financial projections, product roadmaps and competitive positioning. 

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The venture plan was met with enthusiasm and support. By leveraging our client’s expertise, we were able to confront a distressing and murky opportunity space — breathing fresh air into respiratory health. We were now ready to move into prototyping and piloting.