Dexcom: Diabetes Design Initiative
Designing better experiences for people with diabetes
Detailed workflows and solutions on this page are hidden under NDA. Contact for details!
Overview
The Diabetes Design Initiative is a program organized by the UCSD Design Lab and Dexcom, with the mission of making diabetes as invisible as possible through a people-centered approach to diabetes technology. As part of the Spring 2020 cohort, I was among 15 UCSD students designing for the various challenges faced by people living with diabetes.
Opportunity
Our team of 4 was focused mainly on redesigning the experience of Dexcom’s Follow app. Follow is a companion app to Dexcom’s main CGM app, and allows for family and friends of people living with diabetes to stay informed about their loved ones’ health.
Role
During the 10-week program, I had the opportunity to apply both ux research and ux design skills.
On the side of UX research, I was the main coordinator on my team for user interviews for research and user testing. I set up interviews with Dexcom CGM users and their friends and family members, and conducted interviews and facilitated user testing sessions with our prototype.
I also contributed to the design of our final prototype, working with my teammates to build an interactive prototype with Figma. Our design targeted two populations (children living with diabetes and their parents), and I took lead in prototyping the interface targeted at children living with diabetes.
On the side of UX research, I was the main coordinator on my team for user interviews for research and user testing. I set up interviews with Dexcom CGM users and their friends and family members, and conducted interviews and facilitated user testing sessions with our prototype.
I also contributed to the design of our final prototype, working with my teammates to build an interactive prototype with Figma. Our design targeted two populations (children living with diabetes and their parents), and I took lead in prototyping the interface targeted at children living with diabetes.
Process
Research
Our first steps were to conduct secondary research and user interviews with both diabetes patients and their loved ones who currently use Follow. We then compiled our insights and conducted affinity mapping exercises with our Dexcom and Design Lab mentors in order to discover existing pain points and design opportunities.
Our findings led us to frame our approach around a specific user demographic: that of a parent and a young child with T1 diabetes. We wanted to create a solution that would engage younger CGM users and their Followers while helping to maintain their independence.
Our findings led us to frame our approach around a specific user demographic: that of a parent and a young child with T1 diabetes. We wanted to create a solution that would engage younger CGM users and their Followers while helping to maintain their independence.
Design
With this design goal in mind, we created wireframe sketches and continued to iterate until we had a high-fidelity clickable prototype.
Test
We then conducted several user testing sessions with children living with diabetes and their parents in order to gauge the effectiveness of our solution. The prototype was met with positive feedback from the target demographic, with 80% of our testers stating that it was a feature they would use if it were implemented.
Takeaways
1. Working and Designing Remotely
Due to the remote nature of this program, we faced the unique challenges of designing and collaborating as a team entirely remotely. Using tools such as Zoom, Slack, Miro, and Figma helped us communicate and work together across the distance. In addition, we faced the challenges of scheduling and conducting user testing participants over video rather than in person. In order to compensate for this, we developed very detailed testing protocols and used clickable Figma prototype links to emulate in-person user testing.
2. Designing for A Younger Audience
This program was the first time I had the opportunity to design for a younger audience; specifically in this case, designing for children with diabetes. In order to help them successfully navigate the interface, we had to keep in mind that all instructions needed to be clear and specific. When creating solutions for children, we also focused on creating engaging and interesting content that would appeal to their curiosity.