Our Stories

Follow us in our journey as we iteratively design, develop, and test new systems that place people as our priority. The days of waiting for our finalized project reports are over. Join us in our many reflections, discoveries, and activities that both challenge us and excite us.

Mentoring and Interactive Explanations in Diabetes

Lars Müller
March 13, 2021
3
min read

How can technology support young people with diabetes? Nine students from the Diabetes Design Initiative tackled this question this winter quarter. On Wednesday, the two teams presented their final designs to over 30 stakeholders ranging from medical device manufacturers to designers and people with diabetes. The students presented Glu-close buddies: a platform to connect young people with diabetes and Learn Diabetes: an interactive platform to explain diabetes concepts visually.

Fall Presentations: Designing For Empathy

Lars Müller
January 19, 2021
2
min read
Remote

On Wednesday, 12 students presented three projects to stakeholders from the industry, diabetes community, design experts, diabetes educators and healthcare providers. Each group demonstrated how we can design for empathy in teaching, connecting and data sharing. Stakeholders were impressed by the depth and quality of the presented work.

Managing Type One Diabetes as a College Student

Heidi Rataj
October 6, 2020
1
min read

Meet Marlon Blanquart, current president of the College Diabetes Network. When he first headed off to UCSD, he was overwhelmed by the idea that he'd have to manage his type one diabetes independently for the first time. Now, Marlon works with a large team of students to offer a support group and possible networking opportunities to students with T1D or anyone interested in learning about T1D.

The Diabetes Design Initiative Kicks Off “Reimagining Diabetes Support“

September 26, 2020
1
min read
Remote

This Wednesday, September 2nd, the Diabetes Design Initiative will present the culmination of an entire Summer of work to over 50 stakeholders in the healthcare industry. Our team is excited to share a prototype that will redefine the way people living with diabetes control their lives.

A Personal Approach in Diabetes Design

September 26, 2020
2
min read
Remote

When registered dietitian Tiana first got involved with UC San Diego’s Diabetes Design Initiative (DDI), she was initially captivated by their user-centered approach in designing prototypes. Tiana has been able to share her unique feedback with the students working on prototypes for the continuous glucose monitor (CGM) as both a Type One and an employee of Dexcom supporting patients with their CGM challenges.