Medtronic has developed a new customer-centric design after observing previous packages in actual use and talking with medical professionals to gain insight into how users’ core needs could be better met. The medical device manufacturer earned a 2018 AmeriStar Award from the Institute of Packaging Professionals for its innovative package design of the Euphora family of its Next Generation Balloon Angioplasty devices. While standard carton designs feature a sharp, exposed board edge that can cause paper cuts or ripped gloves on users’ hands, this new pull-shelf carton features a “chamfered” design—a symmetrical sloping edge—intended to simplify removing the product from shelves. Inside the carton, the Tyvek layer features two features intended to ease opening of the sterile product pouch: a thumb notch that enables the user to clearly determine the proper opening point, even in low lighting conditions; and a printed opening symbol, which gives the user a visual indicator to where the pouch should be opened.
