DIABETES CONNECTED CARE
Get each person to the right dose of insulin by lightening their mental burden and relieving the emotional tensions/fears that diabetes causes through a suite of connected devices.
38.4
In 2021, it was believed that 38.4 million people (of all ages) were living with Type II Diabetes in the United States. As many as 8 million adults are living undiagnosed.
70%
Of the adults diagnosed, it is believed that an estimated 70% get their first prescription of insulin filled at a pharmacy.
40%
And of the 70% that get their first prescription of insulin filled, only 40% went back to get a refill. That's about 11 million people not refilling their insulin.
The Challenge
Our clients approached us to help design an MVP companion application (to connect to a smart insulin pen cap and BG monitor) for individuals living with type 2 diabetes. The goal was to foster trust between patients and their healthcare providers while reducing anxiety around managing this chronic condition.​
However, the biggest challenge for us as designers was that they had already developed an app that had failed FDA testing. Now, still novices to digital design and development, they were under pressure to release a companion app for their smart pen device quickly. We worked diligently alongside the team on multiple work streams, balancing their needs with those of the users while navigating concerns about a potential FDA setback.
The Role
-
0.25 Design Director, 1 Lead and Ixd (myself), 1 Researcher, 0.5 Designer.
-
Developed the overall user journey for people with diabetes (PwD) transitioning to basal insulin.
-
Led the design, creation, and wireframing of features for the companion app.
-
Facilitated client-facing meetings and workshops, including feature definition and prioritization, as well as needs gathering sessions.
-
Collaborated with the Human Factors team to ensure prototypes were aligned with user questions and to refine prototypes based on feedback.
-
Co-led feature validation studies to ensure usability and effectiveness.
Connected Care
THE VALUE OF
An Open Loop System
The open loop system is primarily used by people with Type II diabetes. It consists of an app recommending doses based on the user’s input of their blood sugar levels and doses of insulin. The PwD uses Bluetooth-connected devices to test and inject themselves.
COLLECT
Make it simple to collect and log data and keep logs up to date.
Managing diabetes often involves disconnected tools, manual tracking, and complex calculations, leaving people with diabetes feeling overwhelmed and struggling to establish a routine. By introducing a smart blood glucose and insulin pen, we simplify the process. Users can effortlessly log their glucose levels—either passively or with a quick action—and easily mark readings as fasting or non-fasting, making diabetes management more intuitive and less burdensome.
CALCULATE
Reducing the mental math needed to get the right dose.
Living with diabetes requires constant management, from daily care to multi-day blood glucose checks and insulin doses. Our goal was to ease the worry of incorrect dosing. By streamlining data collection, the system’s algorithm delivers accurate insulin dosage recommendations every three days, reducing the burden on users while ensuring optimal treatment.
COMMUNICATE
Bridge the communication gap between PwDs and HCPs.
We recognized a gap in trust between healthcare providers and their patients, where patients often felt unheard, and providers approached appointments with skepticism. By enabling accurate data collection, the system empowers people with diabetes to log reliable information, giving healthcare providers a clearer, more comprehensive understanding of their patients’ overall health.
Aligning with the Extended Team
The biggest challenge during this project was getting approval from 9 different departments within the greater company ecosystem while keeping the feature's original intent and user interests a priority.
Design
Labeling
Commercial
Human Factors
Engineering
Brand
Medical
Regulatory
Content
Color
We also received a limited color palette from Marketing, with the main color "Tempo" not being AA or AAA-compliant for elements like buttons, links, and tabs. This challenge is compounded by the thin, rounded typeface we were given. PwDs often have issues with their vision as their disease progresses.
​
Additionally, for people living with diabetes, certain colors carry specific meanings: red may indicate hyperglycemia or a medical emergency, yellow can serve as a warning, and blue might represent hypoglycemia. This added another layer of complexity to our already restricted color choices. The choice for the MVP release was to minimize the use of color for only high-priority moments, and for the next releases to focus on more color opportunities.
Research
Research played a crucial role in the success of our application. To ensure a positive outcome, we conducted two types of user research. The first involved several rounds of remote feature and design validation with 7-10 participants in each phase. The second consisted of multiple summative Human Factors sessions, which allowed us to test close-to-final level features, pinpoint any high-risk areas, and refine the final iterations of the application before submission. Below is an example of our iterations through the different research phases.
Supporting End-to-End
Recognizing that our clients were new to digital design and delivery, we deployed two team members to work on-site, fostering collaboration and efficiency across teams. While the on-site team focused on delivering information to developers, our office team finalized specifications, research documentation, and designs for upcoming feature deliveries. This approach not only enhanced teamwork but also built confidence in the hand-off process.
Future Facing Opportunities
At the end of the project, we had the opportunity to work on future features, like a "Progress Page" and what a CGM connection or other API integrations may look like within the Logbook feature. Below are the results.
