InControl Diabetes Lifestyle Tool Case Study

InControl Diabetes Lifestyle Tool • Sketch Mobile App Prototype

InControl Diabetes Lifestyle Tool Case Study

The InControl Diabetes Lifestyle Tool is a mobile application designed to allow users with Type One and Type Two Diabetes to more easily be connected to their disease by being able to track personal health information and dietary macro-counting on their mobile device. Most importantly, this app will replace the Blood Glucose Monitoring System, allowing users to check their blood sugar levels using their mobile devices instead of carrying around a bulky exterior monitor.

Overview

The main benefits the users will receive are a more accessible device for people with diabetes on the go with simple navigation menus for tracking blood sugar numbers, planning meals, and a more manageable platform to know the functioning levels of one’s own body. The app was conceptualized and prototyped using Sketch and designed in Illustrator. The registration is simple and allows the user to connect to their physician’s information and glucose monitor before registering.

Problem Statement

This app will be a new, revolutionary technology for diabetics. The app will give those who have diabetes more confidence in monitoring themselves and have an easier time managing their non-curable diseases. The user will gain a better understanding of the disease and have the assurance of controlling as many factors as possible with the ease of use in mind.

The app proposes the elimination of in-person doctor visits. For a patient that has Type 1 diabetes, insurance companies require them to see a doctor every three months to cover the cost of prescription drugs, like Novolog or Lantus. With the automatic update system, the need for in-person doctor visits is almost eliminated. For those patients living in a rural region, there are no diabetes doctors. Some have to journey hours to see a medical physician. With the app’s ease, a user can make updates 24/7 and receive vital feedback, hence safer blood sugar numbers and better medical treatment without having to leave home.

The app will accomplish the above goal by using an easy-to-use interface that shows all the user’s vital statistics. It will also give notifications when the user’s blood sugar is too high or low and continuously run scans making sure blood glucose levels are at a safe and stable rate. The app will also perform internal calculations to adapt to the user’s needs and offer suggestions for planning or managing a meal.

Process

The main dashboard is simple and allows users to quickly see recent logged blood sugar numbers and a scrollable graph. The user can individually look at each number to see their recorded information. The quick add menu also allows the user to log data and access features easily.

The unique features of the app are the carb estimator and the doctor updates. The carb estimator allows the user to take a picture of a food item, and then the app generates an accurate carbohydrate count for the person with diabetes to log in MyFitnessPal. The user receives immediate updates from their physician and sends an SMS text message in case of an emergency.

Progress and pattern screens will allow users to see common trends in blood sugar numbers and to correct dosages.

User & Audience

This app’s primary purpose and point are to allow users with Type One and Type Two Diabetes to more easily be connected with their disease by being able to track personal health information and dietary macro-counting on their mobile devices. Most importantly, this app will replace the Blood Glucose Monitoring System, allowing users to check their blood sugar levels using their mobile devices instead of carrying around a bulky exterior monitor. The main benefits the users will receive are a more accessible device for people with diabetes on the go with simple navigation menus for tracking blood sugar numbers, planning meals, and a more manageable platform to know the functioning levels of one’s own body.

This app will be for people with Type One or Type Two Diabetes who want to track blood sugar levels more efficiently through their cell phones. Users will be those who have diabetes and are tired of carrying around bulky Blood Glucose Monitoring devices to check their blood sugar levels and manage meals. This app would be for those wanting to better monitor their health through the ease of a cell phone. The users would want to use this app because there are few programs, like this, on the market. It will be a more straightforward tool in taking better care of one’s health. Users would be more motivated to use this app since it will be more comfortable relaying vital information, like blood sugar patterns, to their doctor and planning meals. This app’s major pain points will alleviate for users is the ease of not having to carry a bulky Blood Glucose Monitoring System around with them. It would also allow people to remember to check their blood sugar levels because of the built-in notification system. Moreover, the app would alert users when blood sugar levels are too high or low, giving people more control over their health without having to guess.

User Testing Results

Overall, most of the information I found during the user testing was confusing at first, but once the users realized the logic behind it, they grasped the data well. On the home screen, the blood sugar dates were in chronological order, but many were familiar with seeing Monday first instead of Friday. This feature caused some surprise amongst users, but they quickly realized why it was designed that way after explaining. Another question that arose was, how would the blood sugar numbers be transferred automatically from the blood glucose monitor? Or do I have to insert blood sugar numbers automatically? The app works by automatically syncing to your glucose monitor, but you have to enter the glucose levels manually since this is a prototype. In the final working version, there will be an option to upload the blood sugar numbers manually in the event of a program error. Another revolutionary concept I learned about my app is the possible elimination of in-person doctor visits. For a patient that has Type 1 diabetes, insurance companies require them to see a doctor every three months to cover the cost of prescription drugs, like Novolog or Lantus. With my automatic update system, the need for in-person doctor visits almost eliminated. For those patients living south of Peoria or in the central Illinois region, there are no diabetes doctors. Some have to journey hours to see a medical physician. With the app’s ease, a user can make updates 24/7 and receive vital feedback, hence safer blood sugar numbers and better medical treatment without having to leave home for an appointment that may be long and pointless. Diabetes is a guessing game, and doctors make you wait hours to tweak a few numbers. Hence the “Doctor Updates” implementation into my application. At first, the app was not intended for this purpose; it was to better control one’s health, but this new feature is now the primary selling point of my application.

Roles & Responsibilities

I was the creator of this project. I created all the software archetypes, the networking system, and the unique features of the application. This app was created as a passion project but later sparked my interest in pursuing medical industry software design.

Scope & Constraints

This app will be a new, revolutionary technology for diabetics. I want this app to give those who have diabetes more confidence in monitoring themselves and have an easier time managing their non-curable disease. The user will gain a better understanding of the disease and have the assurance of controlling as many factors as possible with the ease of use in mind. The app will accomplish the above goal by using an easy-to-use interface that shows all the user’s vital statistics. It will also give notifications when the user’s blood sugar is too high or low and continuously run scans making sure blood glucose levels are at a safe and stable rate. The app will also perform internal calculations to adapt to the user’s needs and offer suggestions for planning or managing a meal.

Outcomes & Results

The outcome of this project opened my eyes to what type of industry I want to work in. After this project, I had a professor tell me how this was an area where I had real talent. I have been a type one diabetic for 18 years, and I want to impact that industry through better user analysis and design.