-- How might we synchronize the demand of social connections among type 2 diabetes patients into the process of maintaining their emotional and physical conditions?
Diabetes, a chronic condition characterized by elevated blood sugar levels, poses a critical issue due to its staggering prevalence, affecting over 400 million people globally and being a leading cause of complications such as heart disease, blindness, and kidney failure. Here are some facts:
#1
More than 1/3 adults in the US have prediabetes. More than 80% of them don’t know they have it.
#2
Risk of early death for adults with diabetes is 60% higher than for adults without diabetes.
#3
$327 billion total medical costs and lost work and wages for people with diagnosed diabetes.
#4
1 out of every 4 dollars spent in health is dedicated to addressing the challenges posed by diabetes.
Our primary focus is on type 2 diabetes, a condition that presents not only physical and medical hurdles but also emotional and psychological challenges. This complexity stems from the necessity of lifestyle changes, a particularly formidable task for adult patients. The transition to a new way of living can be arduous and distressing, magnifying the struggle faced by those with type 2 diabetes. The image below illustrates the enormity of this challenge.
Forge meaningful connections with fellow diabetes patients. Our community goes beyond just diabetes-related topics, embracing all aspects of life.
Whether it's physical or emotional, shared experiences foster stronger bonds. Our platform allows patients with mutual interests to support one another through collaborative tasks.
Take charge of your health. Our data feature provides a comprehensive overview, enabling you to analyze patterns and trends across different people, times, and activities.
Enhance your journey with personalized guidance. Schedule mentorship sessions with individuals who offer varied insights and advice on a wide range of topics, based on their unique experiences and perspectives.
Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition, prevents insulin production, while type 2 diabetes, typically developed in adulthood, involves insulin resistance and inadequate production. Both require specialized management.
Though both types are critical, we're focusing on type 2 diabetes, as it accounts for 90-95% of cases and poses a greater challenge due to its onset in adulthood, unlike type 1, which is often congenital.
In our exploration of type 2 diabetes, we interviewed medical and healthcare experts and identified several challenges, including home treatment difficulties, complication awareness, and diagnosis hurdles. The standout issue was the significant lifestyle change required upon diagnosis.
Unlike type 1 diabetes patients, who are often younger and can more readily adapt to changes early in life, type 2 patients are typically accustomed to their existing lifestyles. A type 2 diabetes diagnosis forces them to alter habits they've grown comfortable with. For instance, the inability to consume alcohol may lead to feelings of social exclusion and isolation.
To gain a deeper insight into the impact of lifestyle changes on patients and the outcomes of these changes, we embarked on netnography research, delving into various diabetes forums to empathize with patients.
Our research uncovered that individuals with type 2 diabetes often grapple with significant psychological challenges. Moreover, adapting to lifestyle changes proves particularly tough for newly diagnosed patients, adding an additional layer of stress to their lives.
When I feel like this I am just eating, eating ****. I don't know if it's boredom, depression, I just don't know. I just don't understand.. "
I know some Type 2 individuals feel burdened, believing their weight led to their condition. In one post, someone felt being punished for overeating. "
It feels like being left out. I love drinking... But I’m no longer able to consume any alcohol... I’m excluded from any of my social events now. "
Newly diagnosed and very depressed. Only 28 years old. I don't understand.. Like WHY ME??? WHY??? I'm ALWAYS unlucky. "
To gain a deeper insight into the impact of lifestyle changes on patients and the outcomes of these changes, we embarked on netnography research, delving into various diabetes forums to empathize with patients.
Our research uncovered that individuals with type 2 diabetes often grapple with significant psychological challenges. Moreover, adapting to lifestyle changes proves particularly tough for newly diagnosed patients, adding an additional layer of stress to their lives.
Reference:
1. Ducat L, Philipson LH, Anderson BJ. The Mental Health Comorbidities of Diabetes. JAMA. 2014;312(7):691–692. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.8040
2. Garrett, Chris, and Anne Doherty. "Diabetes and mental health." Clinical medicine 14.6 (2014): 669.
3. Robinson, David J., Meera Luthra, and Michael Vallis. "Diabetes and mental health." Canadian journal of diabetes 37 (2013): S87-S92.
4. McCarthy, G. M., E. R. R. Ramirez, B. J. Robinson, and Machinery Assoc Comp. Participatory Design to Address Stigma with Adolescents and Young Adults with Type 1 Diabetes. Translated by Assoc Comp Machinery Sigchi Assoc Comp Machinery. 12th ACM SIGCHI Designing Interactive Systems (DIS) Conference. Edinburgh, SCOTLAND, 2017. Originally published as Dis'17: Proceedings of the 2017 acm conference on designing interactive systems.
5. Gorin, Amy A., et al. "Binge eating and weight loss outcomes in overweight and obese individuals with type 2 diabetes: results from the Look AHEAD trial." Archives of general psychiatry 65.12 (2008): 1447-1455.
6. Hinneburg I. Psychosoziale Aspekte bei Diabetes mellitus [Psychological aspects of diabetes]. Med Monatsschr Pharm. 2014 Jun;37(6):222-4. German. Erratum in: Med Monatsschr Pharm. 2014 Aug;37(8):283. PMID: 25051812.
7. Somogyi A. Szerkesztői kommentár. Cukorbetegség és elmebaj [Editor's commentary: Diabetes mellitus and mental disorders]. Orv Hetil. 2011 Mar 27;152(13):497. Hungarian. doi: 10.1556/OH.2011.29073. PMID: 21398209.
8. Dowd KR. Could hearing loss be the link between diabetes and depression? N C Med J. 2011 Sep-Oct;72(5):402-4. PMID: 22416526.
To gain a comprehensive understanding of the existing market products, we performed a competitive product analysis. We categorized the top 50 diabetes-related products in the app store into eight groups: Diabetes Log, All-in-one Platform, Diet & Food, Community, Telehealth, Companion App, Education, and Substitute. Concurrently, we picked three of the most popular apps for an in-depth analysis, evaluating their functionalities, target users, and conducting a SWOT analysis.
Ultimately, we found a gap in the market: there wasn't a single app dedicated to addressing the lifestyle habits or mental health of patients with type 2 diabetes. Users often resort to using apps not specifically designed for type 2 diabetes, highlighting a significant opportunity for us.
Upon refining our focus to the mental and emotional challenges faced by type 2 diabetes patients, we engaged with patients to conduct user interviews. The purpose was to delve into the root causes contributing to the vicious cycle of poor treatment adherence and negative emotions, and to identify opportunities for mitigating these issues. Below are some key details about our user interviews:
We conducted six remote interview sessions, each with a moderator and a note-taker.
Our structured interviews included a set list of questions, with follow-ups based on responses.
The interviews encompassed five categories: demographic and screening queries, diabetes-related experiences, emotional challenges, and experiences during the transition period.
Well to be honest, for me, lifestyle change is the biggest challenge like less staples, quit sugar, smoking and drinking... "
To be honest, I was quite comforted when knowing there’re a lot of samiliar ‘unlucky’ people like me especially my friends. "
I jog together with other diabetes patients as a form of social activities every day because I really can’t always control myself strictly and I feel guilty.... "
When I first got diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I thought diabetes is a non-lethal cancer, and I probably don’t having much time left. "
To explore the link between patients' mental states, behaviors, and outcomes, we created an affinity map. We divided their responses into three categories: cause (mainly mental state), performance (medication, lifestyle, and social factors influenced by mental state), and outcome.
For analysis, we labeled each section as positive or negative. Interestingly, patients with a more positive mental outlook provided more insights into their performance and had better control over their outcomes. In contrast, those with a lack of motivation had more complaints about lifestyle changes and exhibited more negative physical and mental conditions.
Our research indicates that various relationships offer distinct forms of support. While family and friends are excellent sources of emotional support, they may lack professional medical knowledge. On the other hand, doctors are professionals who guide patients in maintaining health, but they may not provide emotional support.
Interestingly, relationships among patients strike an ideal balance, offering substantial emotional support and sharing valuable expertise with one another.
Additionally, through affinity mapping analysis of user interviews, we identified these key insights: Power of Connections, Interplay of Emotions and Healthcare, Cultural and Personal Factors, Intuitive and Immediate Feedback, and Group Learning Dynamic:
After synthesizing our research findings and formulating insights, we embarked on the ideation phase through a comprehensive brainstorming session. All designers congregated to generate and visually represent as many potential design directions as possible, using a combination of sketches and explanations. Post-brainstorming, we engaged in collaborative discussions to refine, clarify, and enhance our ideas.
We organized our ideas from the brainstorming session into distinct categories: interface, product, service, and hybrid. Subsequently, we narrowed down our choices to three design concepts that best aligned with our established design principles. To facilitate further refinement, we rapidly developed a series of sketches and prototypes for these selected concepts.
The design concept revolves around a versatile wearable device that serves dual purposes. It functions as a remote control for engaging in physical exercise games and as a continuous glucose monitor that tracks and reports health status to various stakeholders. The main features of this device include Glucose Testing, Exercise Game, Health Report, and Social Connection.
This design concept offers a comprehensive, one-stop solution for diabetes patients, allowing them to manage every aspect of their daily life including diet, social life, exercise, and medication. This multifaceted approach ensures that patients can access a wide range of resources, from peer experiences and fun lifestyle tips to warnings and official suggestions, providing them with everything they need to effectively manage diabetes.
Create a patient-centric community for connection and support, paired with a comprehensive diabetes knowledge database. The platform enables users to engage in discussions, seek support, and access personalized health advice. Record health metrics, learn from similar cases, and connect via forums or mentor sessions. Education combines expert-reviewed content with user-generated insights.
We evaluated our selected design concepts using five criteria: Sustainability, Sociability, Attractiveness, Ease of Use, and Knowledge Gain. Based on these metrics, Concept 3: Connective Community emerged as the top performer and was chosen as the final design.
To understand our users and their relationships, we created three personas: a Mentor&Guide (Jerry), an Optimistic Learner (David), and a Negative Patient (Mei). Jerry, a long-time diabetes fighter, supports others through their journey. David, rational and educated, learned to adapt to his diagnosis by envisioning positive changes. In contrast, Mei, a quiet person from a second-tier city in China, sees diabetes as a life-altering catastrophe.
We conducted usability tests on our Lo-fi prototype with four users to identify any system flaws. Task completion times and rates were recorded, and feedback was gathered. We made several changes post-testing, including adjustments to the mentor session tab entrance, discovery tab location, and home screen content. These changes improved system navigation and user experience. Although designers conducted this test, we plan another round with actual target users after completing the hi-fi prototype.
We conducted an expert review to leverage the expertise of professionals in the field and gain an external perspective on our project. This review enabled us to identify any potential issues or areas of improvement that we may have overlooked, ensuring that our project is grounded in best practices and informed by industry knowledge. Through this process, we received valuable feedback that informed our design decisions and contributed to the overall quality and effectiveness of our project.
While user needs are central to our project, advancing it requires a viable business model that aligns with industry standards. We'll explore and integrate effective business strategies to elevate our project to the next level.
We acknowledge the significant presence of elderly users and those with complications leading to disabilities among diabetes patients. Hence, we're committed to broadening our design approach to encompass inclusive design principles, ensuring our solution caters to a diverse user base.
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