Takeda «In Their Shoes»: Immersive Empathy Simulation for IBD Patients

For global pharmaceutical giant Takeda, IRTECH developed a 48-hour interactive mobile roleplay that places medical professionals into the disruptive daily realities of patients suffering from Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

Takeda In Their Shoes 3-iPhone Mockup — Takeda’s award-winning In Their Shoes simulation educates healthcare professionals on patient burden.

Project Metrics

Deployment: Singapore, Canada, EU
Simulation Duration: 48 Hours Live
Challenge Latency: < 1 Second

Project Background

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis) disrupt everyday life through sudden acute symptoms, restrictive diets, pain episodes, and urgent restroom needs.

To cultivate authentic empathy among physicians, nurses, and corporate staff, Takeda designed a two-day immersion simulation. Early manual prototypes using SMS were cumbersome and error-prone.

Digital Concept & Implementation

IRTECH automated the entire immersion workflow into a native mobile platform:

Unpredictable Real-Time Challenges: At unexpected moments (in meetings, during commute, or overnight), participants receive push prompts requiring immediate action or restroom visits
Photo and Text Verification: Proof must be submitted within strict time limits to mirror urgent urgency
Dynamic Scoring: Failure to respond in time incurs point penalties, cultivating visceral empathy for disease-related schedule disruptions

Multi-Timezone Global Orchestration

From Europe to Singapore and Canada: The backend managed participants across international date lines and personal circadian rhythms with sub-second accuracy.

In addition to the mobile app, IRTECH built a responsive admin console allowing seminar moderators to schedule cohorts, monitor completion rates, and debrief participants with analytics.

Impact

«In Their Shoes» became an enduring cornerstone of internal education at Takeda and received multiple international healthcare awards for innovative patient advocacy.

Screenshots & UI Showcase

In Their Shoes Challenge Interface — Real-time challenges simulate the unpredictable realities of chronic illness.

Navigation and Score Overview — Participant profile, score log, and activity feed.

30 Minutes Directly with the Lead Architect

Tell us about your upcoming software project or mobile app idea.

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Ilir

Owner & Lead Architect, IRTECH GmbH · Switzerland

Bring along: Your project vision, requirements, or existing software stack and target platforms (iOS, Android, Garmin, Web).
You leave with: A solid feasibility assessment, clear architectural recommendations, and a realistic budget and roadmap.

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