Design Group awarded the prestigious ADI Compasso d’Oro 2020

We are thrilled to announce that we have received the prestigious Compasso d’Oro award 2020 for the design of D-Heart, the first hospital-grade ECG device for smartphones and tablets.
Furthermore, our work on the design strategy of Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa destination in Iceland, received an Honourable Mention at the XXVI Compasso d’Oro ceremony held at the new ADI Compasso d’Oro museum in Milan.

D-Heart, The hospital-grade smartphone ECG device

D-Heart is a portable, easy-to-use ECG device that connects via Bluetooth to an accompanying smartphone or tablet app. The app guides the user step-by-step to perform a reliable 8/12 lead ECG independently. The results can then be sent to a telecardiology service or the patient’s personal doctor.

Design Group Italia designed the digital app, physical device, service journey and packaging of D-Heart. The device features a new, patented coiling mechanism that allows you to extract the cables one at a time and in any order, and to rewind them all together with a single gesture, for an easier user experience. Since every human body is different, the image-processing algorithm uses the smartphone’s camera to guide the user in the correct positioning of the electrodes in his/her chest. The app interface is simple and intuitive to accommodate the user that may be anxious or in physical pain.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the surge of telemedicine services, as healthcare over phone, video or text has become the new normal. D-Heart makes daily life easier for chronic patients, who no longer need to make regular, time-consuming trips to the hospital. It can also be used in places, where healthcare services are not readily available. Cardiovascular screening campaigns using D-Heart have been run by NGOs and private foundations in Senegal, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Bangladesh, to name but a few.

Compasso d’Oro Jury states,
“Medical technology made familiar and transposed into daily life. Completely user friendly while allowing the patient to be followed from a distance.”

Edgardo Angelini, Managing Director, Design Group Italia says,
“Designing a phygital medical device goes beyond product and app design. It is about designing the relationship between people and the object.
D-Heart is an innovation that made for an exciting, engaging and important challenge for us. We tackled it with an interdisciplinary team of digital, product, brand and service designers as well as engineers. The team guided the customer in all aspects of the project, from the design of the experience to the design of the physical product, featuring an innovative cable winding mechanism, and the dedicated smartphone app. The result is both innovative, easy to use and beautiful.
D-Heart is a start-up run by two young visionary entrepreneurs, Niccolò Maurizi and Nicolò Briante, whose idea can truly improve the lives of people struggling with cardiovascular diseases. ADI Compasso d’Oro is a wonderful recognition for the entire Design Group Italia team.”

Nicolò Briante and Niccolò Maurizi, founders of D-Heart say,

“We are very proud and thankful to have won this prestigious prize. This is a great recognition for our hard work during these years and encourages us to continue in our project to create solutions with the same design principle that reflects the D-Heart brand: simplicity meets reliability. In our view, both design and user experience are crucial for creating a new generation of user-friendly medical solutions.”

Blue Lagoon Iceland
Strategic business design to create a unique destination

Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa destination in Reykjanes, Iceland, comprising of spas, restaurants, hotels, transportation, and retail.

Design Group Italia has worked closely together with the company since 1997, designing the DNA of the company to the unique brand, destination, and experience that it is today. The work has included everything from brand design to retail spaces and interiors, digital design, e-commerce, experience and service design.

Grimur Saemundsen, CEO, Blue Lagoon Iceland says,
“It is a great honor to receive this recognition for applying design strategically across all our business units. The long-term commitment to design has built Blue Lagoon into the unique destination that it is.”

Sigurdur Thorsteinsson, Partner, Design Group Italia says,
“Thanks to Mr. Saemundsen’s vision, our work with Blue Lagoon has been an incredible journey, always looking ahead towards the future of wellness and health. We have designed not only objects and spaces, but the DNA of the business. Going beyond the traditional idea of design, it is a showcase of what design can really do. Being recognized by ADI for this work is very meaningful.

About Compasso d’Oro ADI Award

Initiated in 1954 and ideated by Giò Ponti, Compasso d’Oro ADI is one of the oldest and most prestigious design awards in the world. It rewards personalities, organizations or companies who have distinguished themselves for innovation and creativity in the field of design. 18 winners and 38 honorary mentions were awarded in the 26th edition of the award at the ceremony held in the new Compasso d’Oro museum in Milan, Italy, on September 9, 2020.

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