Inda Kiranthie
Secure by Design, Sustainable by Nature
Hi! I’m Inda, and I have always felt deeply connected to design as both a discipline and a way of understanding the world. I believe that design is never neutral. Through the systems, objects, and experiences we create, we actively shape the world around us, while those same environments in turn shape the way we think, behave, and relate to one another.
While I value a logical and grounded approach to problem-solving, I also believe that meaningful and impactful solutions can only emerge when we have the space to dream. My time in this degree has strengthened my ability to work closely with people and contexts on the ground, while developing rigor throughout the design process. By closely collaborating with stakeholders, I seek to understand what truly matters to them, designing within real-world constraints while co-creating thoughtful and tangible outcomes.
With a Diploma in Interior Architecture and Design and a BA in Design for Social Futures, I approach every project through a multifaceted and meticulous process that balances research, dialogue facilitation, and iterative experimentation. My interdisciplinary background allows me to move fluidly between spatial, systemic, and human-centred perspectives, shaping work that is both critically informed and socially conscious.
Secure by Design, Sustainable by Nature:
Rethinking Prescription Packaging to Reduce Pharmaceutical WastePharmaceutical waste is one of the largest contributors of waste in the medical industry. The waste doesn't stop there and even continues to our households. The project began by doing fieldwork in the pharmacy, understanding existing workflows, protocols and mapping out the journey of medicine in the hospital.
To embark on designing a clearer and more user friendly system for medicine, I began by interviewing industry experts. I was exposed to multiple possibilities for layout , formatting, colour coding, and grid structure for something as simple as manufacturing dates on blister strips.This stage included sketching, comparing options and understanding practical constraints to design around.
Through the extensive fieldwork and in person sessions with my stakeholders, I realised that pharmaceutical waste is not solely a problem of disposal or the user, but a consequence of how medication is communicated, interpreted, and used in everyday contexts.My project, Secure by Design, Sustainable by Nature, investigates how prescription packaging can be reimagined to address this gap.
For the design outcomes, I explored 3 levels of design interventions in which everyday medication touchpoints operate collectively as an integrated system of solutions. They address the drivers of pharma waste and how we can enhance clarity, assurance and continuity, through intuitive design.
The first intervention, Reproposed RX sticker labels challenge and optimises existing standardised sticker labels. Different users interpret medical labels differently. It doesn't help that medication drug names are difficult to remember or even pronounce.The insights from Doctors, pharmacists and patients point to how Sticker Labels can be redesigned to focus on critical dosage instructions and improve efficacy.
The second intervention, Reproposed Blister Packaging reimagines how doses are structured and visualized. Blister Packs can act as visual guides for adherence information but are currently underutilised as indicative labels. The idea eventually developed into how we might design blister packaging to break away from linear monotony and represent weekly dosages.
The third intervention, Reproposed eyedrop storage system, was targeted toward eye patients with chronic and progressive disease. Between each visit to the hospital, they collect up to 7 or more boxes of eyedrops. I started to wonder how one manages that many drugs at a time? This led to the design idea that an organized compartment system can assure and act as a guideline for both patients and various stakeholders to be aligned on the status of active medication.
Together, the proposed interventions share the same goal for patients to use medication safely, correctly and completely, reducing waste as a byproduct of better design.