Phase VI is under way: MEMoPAD leaves the lab

September was the month MEMoPAD left the lab. After years of workshops, surveys and prototypes, it is now on people’s wrists, in their ordinary days. ⌚

Phase VI is under way

Ten people from our patient group are now using the latest MEMoPAD prototype, a smartwatch and its companion app, for up to five weeks. All ten places were filled, and the watches were handed over in person in Bristol in mid-September.

Why does this matter? It is the first time MEMoPAD is being used in everyday life rather than in a workshop or a lab. It will show us whether a tool designed together with the people it is for is one they actually keep using.

What comes next:

• Late October: online focus groups with the ten participants, to hear what worked and what didn’t.
• 30 October to 10 November: 15-minute online interviews with clinicians, to review whether what MEMoPAD produces would be useful in clinical practice.

If you are a clinician who signed up through our recruitment survey, an invitation is on its way to your inbox.

A huge thank you to everyone who applied to take part in this phase, and to everyone who shared the call. We deeply value your support and involvement. 💚

Behind the scenes

Before any watch could be handed over, the prototype went through a review by UWE’s Cyber Security team, on top of its ethics approval. It was demanding, and it is the reason the start date moved a little later than planned. The result is a system that handles participants’ data with the care it deserves. Thank you to the UWE colleagues who reviewed it, and to my supervisory team for their steady guidance.

Your turn: one last survey

The project is not over yet. In November, if you signed up to MEMoPAD through our recruitment form, you will receive a short final online survey.

• If you took part, tell us what you liked and what you would have done differently across this long co-design journey.
• If you signed up but couldn’t take part, tell us what got in the way.

Critical comments are the most useful kind. Your answers will inform future co-design studies, so that research becomes more and more inclusive of the public’s needs and perspectives.

See you in Sheffield?

On Thursday 8 October I will be at the UKRI Mental Health Platform Research Summit in Sheffield, presenting MEMoPAD’s co-design story with a short talk and a poster. If you are going to be there, let me know: I’d love to say hello in person. 👋

Opportunities you might like

• Anxiety UK webinars: regular online sessions, free for Anxiety UK members. 👉 See the upcoming webinars
• Introduction to process evaluation (Health Innovation West of England): a one-hour online webinar on 9 November, 1–2pm, the fourth in their Real-World Evaluation series. 👉 Event details and booking

Thank you

To the ten people wearing MEMoPAD right now, and to everyone who has shaped it since 2023: thank you. Questions or feedback? Just hit reply; I’d love to hear from you.

PS. This newsletter is also available by email. If you know anyone who might be interested, please feel free to share it with them!

📰 Newsletter archive: https://memopad.luigiandreamoretti.com/newsletter/