LifeScan—OneTouch® CGM Portfolio
A portfolio of products that helps people living with diabetes manage and monitor their blood glucose levels continuously without having to do a fingerstick.
Project Background
LifeScan has identified the need to develop Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) systems as part of their business transformation from fingerstick to a connected wearable sensor based company.
We worked with LifeScan to define and develop 3 different apps (2 of which are considered medical devices and FDA approved) in parallel on aggressive timelines. The goal is to help LifeScan break through into the CGM category and differentiate them as the digitally forward-thinking leader in the diabetes industry.
Define & Discover
We conducted extensive qualitative research on diabetes and CGM system landscapes and participated in two different workshops. In the first workshop, we jointly developed product positioning, mission statement, business goals, and high level project milestones. We’ve also done desk research on competitive landscape and predicate apps. In order to receive clearance on 510k FDA submission, we look to a predicate (medical) device that may currently be legally marketed in the U.S as a point of reference. The new device must be proven to be substantially equivalent in safety and efficacy.
In the second workshop, we interviewed people with diabetes and caregivers in order to understand their experiences, journeys, pain points, wants, and needs. In this workshop, we also defined a set of MVP features, project timelines, and any associated risk of missing the submission timeline.
Research Findings
When asked, most participants we interviewed highlighted that the product(s) they use to manage their diabetes are not user-friendly. They are often inundated with data that is presented in a cold, unfriendly, and indiscreet way. They want to feel that they are in control and have peace of mind knowing that they are safe. They feel that managing diabetes shouldn’t be complicated. They want to feel normal, being able to live their lives going out to restaurants without constant reminder that they are living with diabetes.
Keywords
Control
Knowledge
Discreet
Mindspace
Simple
Safe
Friendly
Personas & User Journeys
We’ve identified three target user groups based on their unique needs, experiences, and relationship to diabetes management. The three groups are people with Type 1 diabetes, people with Type 2 diabetes, and caregivers such as healthcare professionals or friends and family.
Both T1D and T2D users require the same basic needs around information and access, but have different relationships and exposure to diabetes management. People who are diagnosed with T1D have been living with it almost their entire life vs people with T2D are generally new to the disease and lifestyle changes that come with it. Below is an example of high-level touchpoints and journey along the life of a T2D user.
Opportunities
From the research, we realized that we have an opportunity to design a medical device that isn’t outdated nor convoluted with unnecessary embellishments. Our goal is to focus on the users being able to use the apps effortlessly and discreetly while being reassured that they are safe.
The CGM systems will be launched globally as a portfolio under LifeScan’s OneTouch brand, with focus in North America and Europe. The launch will consist of two CGM systems (OneTouch® 24/7 CGM System and OneTouch® On Demand CGM System) and a follower app that allows your caregivers and loved ones to help monitor your glucose levels.
Design, Validate, Iterate—Repeat
After the workshops and research, we had a better understanding of people with diabetes. From there, we crafted 3 different design directions that we believed speak to the key values that we kept hearing being repeated by the interview participants during the workshops. We presented these directions to the clients and stakeholders.
Control over my data, situation,
and level of tracking
Knowledge of all aspects of my
condition state and progress
Mindspace to live my life without
being overwhelmed by diabetes
It was decided to go with the third direction with Mindspace as the main concept of the apps. This concept reinforces the findings that we have gathered from the workshops and research. People with diabetes want to have peace of mind and be able to feel normal. The concept takes away the “medical” aspect of the app and allows the users to stay discreet in public.
While it is true that we kept the user interface design simple, we adhered to our design guiding principles. We always err on the side of caution, allow users control whenever possible, be mindful of alarms fatigue (this came up as a common theme during interviews), and any movements or motions must convey meaning.
After the initial concept presentation, we embarked on four 2-week design sprints for the OneTouch® 24/7 CGM app, followed by another four 2-week design sprints for OneTouch® On Demand CGM app before the first app wrapped up. For the Follow App, it took three 2-week design sprints from design to delivery.
During the process, we worked closely with our stakeholders including the client’s PO team, clinical team, endocrinologists, development and solutions architect team, BAs, labelling and commercial team, and other third party vendors in order to make design and business decisions that could impact the quality and timeline of the project.
We grounded the UX/UI of the app in the idea that it should always be easy for users to get their Mindspace.
OneTouch® 24/7 CGM System app allows users to track their glucose readings every minute continuously without any extra work. Some main features of the app include:
Interactive home screen: CGM value, trend arrow and trendline
Review progress against goals
Ability to record insulin, activity, carbs, BG and notes along with visualizations
Customizable alerts/alarms for highs and lows
Configure system and user preferences
Invite and manage followers
Sometimes all we need is a little nudge to focus on the right things.
OneTouch® On Demand CGM System app allows users to track their glucose readings whenever they need and help them take action to support a life of wellness. Some main features of the app include:
Pull to check glucose on-demand and interactive home screen: CGM value, trend arrow and trendline
Specific reminders and goal setting and tracking to help users focus on the right things
Support and guidance when needed
Customizable alerts for highs and lows
Invite and manage followers
Always feel connected with the support circle of your choice.
Follow App allows family, friends, caregivers, or other invited followers to monitor CGM app users remotely. The followers can follow both 24/7 and On Demand CGM System users at the same time and view their latest glucose readings and trends.
User Testing
We have done 3 user testings for 24/7 CGM app and 2 user testings for On Demand CGM app. The testing is done at the end of each 2-week design sprint. We did 7, 40-minute qualitative user testing interviews with 7 participants with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes and varied levels of experience with diabetes apps and testing devices.
Pictures from the early versions of the UI
Iterating
There were many insights and suggestions gained from the interview participants. Some noteworthy suggestions included increase in color contrast, increase intensity in animation movements, and generally the use of icons are more preferred and easier to understand. Throughout the process, we incorporated the feedback and suggestions into our designs to be tested in the future sprints.
We repeated the process of design, validate, and iterate as the product and circumstances evolved.
Learnings & Conclusion
This project has taught me a number of things. One, it has taught me that there is never too much organization. With a project this large and complex, everything needs to be very well-organized in order for the project to run smoothly. There were many instances where we had to revisit our decisions and the rationale behind them. Learning to have all those decisions and rationale captured in an easily accessible single source of truth was a lifesaver.
Second, I learned to choose my battles wisely. Losing one battle doesn’t mean you will lose the war. This saying holds its truth especially well in this project. I remember we had to compromise with the icon design for the nav bar and went with the legacy design, we tried to convince our clients for a different design but they were adamant on them. Looking back, I realized that even though we lost that small battle, we gained a deeper understanding into forging a stronger relationship with our clients.
I learned a lot more about diabetes, had a deeper understanding on people living with diabetes, and empathized with what they have to deal with on a daily basis in addition to everyday life. As the project continues to evolve, I am thankful to be able to contribute and grow along with it.