Diabetes Activity Planner
Project Scope: Design + Proof of Concept Build
My Role: Experience Design Lead
In the Spring of 2018, a Eli Lilly enlisted Intrepid to design and develop an app that would make it easier for people living with Type 1 Diabetes to exercise safely. Studies show that regular exercise allows people living with Type 1 Diabetes to lead a healthier life, often drastically cutting down on the amount of insulin they need to take. However, due to a variety of factors that contribute to a person’s blood sugar levels, it is often very difficult for these affected users to manage their exercise on their own comfortably and safely. The goal of the product was to give users more confidence in managing blood sugars through various types of exercise and activity. We sought to eliminate the highs (hyperglycemia) and lows (hypoglycemia) that many users experience during activity. During our engagement, we created a product that offers personalized guidance, in order to instill confidence in the user. The product also educates the user about a variety of physical activities and varying effects on blood sugar levels.
Our target user was the ‘Fearful but Willing’ participant - a user who wants to incorporate regular exercise into their routine, but is nervous about the potential consequences. They lack the deep knowledge and trust in themselves to plan properly. Because of these challenges, they opt not to do it. They need guidance on what exercise to do and when to do it, but can’t find the proper resources or the time. It was vital that our product help the user to understand the effects that different activities can have on their glucose levels, and the potential impact of certain kinds of activity have.
We started by first gathering context from of a team of subject matter experts to understand the complex effects of activity on insulin levels. Next, we interviewed a team of people living with Type 1 Diabetes to understand their unique challenges and blockers. From there, we worked closely with the Eli Lilly team to develop the creative concept for a product that would help to users exercise more safely. The app would offer a deep dive into each activity or workout plan, describing the activity and gives tips for completing that activity safely. We also worked in regular bolus doses, which created an interested UX challenge.
