I designed an interactive data visualization to explore the hidden burden of medication regimens by translating prescriptions into visible "burden profiles". Users can explore how different medications and combination of medications impact patients.

While prescriptions are typically evaluated clinically (dosage, efficacy, safety), they are rarely represented in terms of the cognitive and emotional load placed on patients.

This project translates medication instructions into a multi-dimensional burden profile, allowing users to explore how different regimens shape daily life.

The dimensions of burden are:

• Doses per day - how often patients must remember to take medicine

• Timing complexity - whether strict rules, schedules, or coordination is required

• Food restrictions - patients need to remember what foods can/cannot be taken with the food and whether medicine needs to be taken with or without food

• Side effect severity - physical and emotional toll of adverse effects

• Monitoring need - requirement for ongoing checkups or tracking

I designed a radar-based visualization where a summation polygon extends beyond the bounds of the chart, representing how combined regimens can exceed what is considered manageable. Users can compare individual medications and combinations of medications to see how burdens accumulate in nonlinear and uneven ways.

This approach reframes medication regimens as lived systems that require ongoing attention, memory, and adaptation. My goal is to support more human-centered decision-making in healthcare, helping clinicians, designers, and patients better understand the total burden of treatment.