We set out to redesign the glucose monitor so it could feel like a natural part of users' everyday lives rather than a constant reminder of illness. Through five interviews with diabetes patients, we learned that existing monitors felt clinical and overwhelming, something to hide rather than use openly. Adult men in particular described feeling embarrassed monitoring their glucose around friends or colleagues. We built a persona around these insights to guide our design decisions.Outcome
The redesigned monitor takes inspiration from a Swiss knife, a familiar, multi-purpose object that feels personal and pleasant to hold rather than medical. We replaced complex graphs and numbers with simpler visual feedback, reducing the cognitive load and anxiety of checking glucose levels. We also added a voice message feature, allowing users or loved ones to record short audio clips. This was designed to bring warmth and motivation to what can otherwise feel like a lonely, clinical routine.
