Medtronic

Medtronic is a global leader in medical technology with a division dedicated to diabetes. The company's goal is to bridge the gap between insulin monitors/pumps and patient applications to change the way patients manage their diabetes.

Problem

Medtronic users are juggling between multiple devices for their diabetic care including non-Medtronic products making their day to day lifestyle challenging.

Solution

Create an integrated application by bluetooth connectivity that will hold all information gathered from the sensor and pump. This will allow patients to better manage their diet by exact carb counting with photo recognition technology.

Challenge

Find the root issue within diabetes management to create a service that gives Medtronic a competitive edge.

RESEARCH

We surveyed a total of 47 participants and interviewed 8 participants all being diabetic patients. From the surveys we were able to construct an affinity map to distinguish the most common problem in diabetes management. We then interviewed participants to gain insight on these issues to determine the main issue within that common problem. 

Although there were survey and interview responses about the product interface and hardware, we learned that the main issue within diabetes care was not only that patients were juggling between multiple devices but they also had the mental load within management including diet monitoring to maintain their blood glucose level.

DESIGN

During interviews, patients expressed how they are constantly checking their blood glucose level. With the sensor, pump and app all synced to each other, the app will allow a constant updated display of the patients blood glucose level. 

From our usability testing, patients stated that they still didn't see the point of our application. Looking back at the affinity map, we realized another issue with diabetes was the blood sugar levels.

 With unexpected spikes and drops in blood glucose levels, users will be able to receive notifications for when approaching lows and highs instead of the constant worry of continuous blood glucose checks.

In the design process, we kept in mind the primary issue in diabetes care, which is the management between multiple devices. With this app, patients not only will be able to receive their updated blood glucose level but also be able to pump the necessary amount of insulin with control of the app. 

CHECK OUT THE INTERATIVE PROTOTYPE

Next Steps

Learning from the potential users during usability testing and interviews, our next steps would to be integrate a messaging application and to display a past history. This application will allow diabetics to send information to their loved ones as well as their physicians. The past history will allow users to understand how past meals affect their blood glucose for future reference.

Length

2 weeks

Team

 Jeanette Lau

Makiki Harris

Santi Allende

Sahar Sarab

Role

Conduct research, sketches of interfaces, create final wireframes, and interactive prototype in InVision.

Tools

TypeForm, Sketch, Invision