Design that Matters

Design that Matters is a nonprofit that designs medical devices for low-resource hospitals, focusing on newborn health. There is no such thing as a dumb user, only dumb products. We design devices that eliminate common sources of product failure so that caregivers can focus on their patients, not their equipment.

DtM collaborates with international aid organizations and manufacturing partner MTTS in Vietnam to deliver breakthrough medical technologies to hospitals not served by commercial medical device companies. DtM's Firefly phototherapy device has reached 49 countries and treated more than 1.1 million newborns. Firefly is listed in the WHO Compendium of Innovative Health Technologies. DtM's Otter Newborn Warmer received CE Mark approval in January 2026 and is being distributed in Vietnam, Zambia and the Philippines. Products that DtM has helped design and launch have treated more than 3.1 million patients in 84 countries. DtM is a Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt National Design Award winner.