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.
“I would sit down with different focus groups who showed me their prototypes, and they would ask me to use it intuitively, checking whether I found anything confusing, or directly asking me how I thought it could be improved.”
Tiana was 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. “It’s interesting wearing both hats,” Tiana says. “I get to see the frustrations from the point of a patient, because I started with Dexcom first as a CGM wearer, and now working in the company I get a fuller perspective.”
Tiana was in college when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and started on a continuous glucose monitor. These experiences as a patient and Dexcom employee help Tiana address the needs of other patients and to improve prototypes.
“I had no idea at all what [DDI] was going to be, but if it’s a cause to advance technology in the world of diabetes, I’m all for it.” Tiana talks about first becoming a participant at the initiative. More than six months later, she continues providing insightful feedback and working with team members across different projects.
“It is so satisfying to see students developing things that I see such a need for, that are so relevant to my life, my job, and my health. It started with one visit and then I kept on participating. I got a few friends to participate too and I continued when it went virtual. It’s been awesome.”
The Diabetes Design Initiative envisions and seeks the development of improved technology for people with diabetes.
They are able to do this by working directly with the diabetes community, healthcare providers, and industry to understand the impact and requirements of diabetes technology.
The design teams benefit from direct interaction with people living with diabetes to help frame the problem and develop solutions. Participants help shape challenges early in their design sprint by participating in remote interviews and later on by providing their feedback on prototypes.
Many participants like Tiana feel thankful to be included in developing these prototypes. “It’s great to see my feedback be directly used in research. Not just to help educate patients, which is what I currently do and love,” Tiana says, “but also in making the technology become more advanced, having the actual agency to improve.”
Tiana admits her experience with DDI has sparked a passion for more involvement in technology development.
To learn more about the Diabetes Design Initiative or how to participate, click here
