In the world of emergency response, every minute counts. NewDealDesign worked together with Avive to create a new category of connected AEDs that might dramatically increase the community response rate for Sudden Cardiac Arrest.

Outdated and Obscure object

When used quickly, an AED can be a life-saving intervention for a heart attack victim. The problem is that AEDs cost thousands of dollars, are not readily accessible, and too often don't get to the people who need them.

Community Coverage

Our collaboration with Avive focused on developing a first-of-its-kind connected AED system. In addition to standard AED capabilities, the Avive Connect AED™ is a portable device that, when spread across a community, acts as a mesh-network of coverage enabling support to any individual within the radius of that network.

Decreasing the distance between the person who needs help and the person who can give it.

The 4-Minute City

Avive is on a mission to create 4-Minute Cities, making an AED available within 4 minutes of any collapse from sudden cardiac arrest. It's unrealistic to think that every household would be willing and able to purchase an AED, so we worked with Avive to create communities in which empowered individuals act as a local resource for the greater community when disaster strikes.

Designing to save lives by designing to save time

Since each passing minute without treatment reduces survival rates by 7%, an AED’s usability and design can mean the difference between life and death. Avive’s simple, communicative industrial design creates a new class of AEDs fit for modern public spaces. The soft form and color of Avive is familiar and friendly, inspiring confidence for users in taking action during a stressful experience.

Iterating to Reduce Time-to-Shock

To test for usability, we focused on Time-to-Shock, the measure of time from the AED’s activation to when treatment is delivered to the victim. We ran multiple rounds of in-person research, inviting participants with no prior emergency response knowledge to test prototypes on a CPR dummy. This research was essential to understanding the initial shock experienced by bystanders, their hesitancy to take first steps, confusion surrounding the location of the AED pads, and other key gaps. After each round of research, we made iterations to the physical AED interactions, audio design, and on-screen animations.
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From 7 minutes to close to a minute

Through this research process, we were able to cut down average Time-to-Shock from over 7 minutes with many failures to shock, to under 1 minute and 30 seconds.

Making Headway

Avive has since raised a $22M Series A to support the national rollout of its rapid-response technology. A recent partnership with industry-leader RapidSOS allows Avive to seamlessly connect with 911 Emergency Communication Centers, enabling 911 tele-communicators to dispatch Avive Connect AEDs by audibly alerting community bystanders with a device in close proximity to a victims location to navigate to the location of the emergency.