Research & Design

Using a HCD Approach to Create a Mobile App. to Reduce Stress in Students

Presented at the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society conference in Chicago, 2019

MediSearch - Portal and Hub for Finding & Securing a Healthcare Provider

easL - Streaming, e-commerce, and Social Media platform for artists, collectors, and viewers

United Airlines Mobile Website Architecture - Concept

Decision Flow and User Journey for Determining an Insulin Dose via Injection

Process Flow, Site Mapping, Medical Technology

Diabetic Management Devices IA Project Proposal

Project Statement

Diabetes is a difficult disease to manage. Incredibly difficult if you’re newly diagnosed, annoying and frustrating to manage if you’ve had it for an extended period of time. The purpose of this project would be to offer an organization of tools, formulas, medicines, diets, and even healthcare providers for people living with the disease.

I’ve dealt with the disease for 23 years as of September 2017, and I still don’t have the management down pat. I still struggle with keeping track of my blood sugars and developing habits for testing, especially in my work and school environment being incredibly busy and unpredictable. I continue to experiment with diets and foods that work and don’t work for me, and medical doses by which to cover these intakes. There are resources out there, but I feel as though an all-in-one guide and organization of this data would be useful to newbies and oldies alike.

Mission Statement

To provide a free, accessible, and educational hub of resources to enrich the lives of those who are living with- or know someone living with Diabetes.

Key Users & Tasks

Newly Diagnosed – A user who has been recently diagnosed with Diabetes needs to be educated about so many different aspects of Diabetes. From what products to use, management techniques, and what foods are safe to eat without blood sugar spikes, to developing healthy habits for managing symptoms and keeping readings under control, users should have a database that pulls from many sources and creates an all-in-one hub of information that will allow them ways to find what they need to know.

Healthcare Providers – Endocrinologists, or doctors of the endocrine system (the bodily system responsible for Diabetes), who are accepting new patients, should have a place they can go to promote their services. With the rise of user reviews and the always-prevalent word-of-mouth recommendation system, the Internet has been a great tool in promoting businesses and services. Doctors should be able to have their credentials updated and posted on their profiles, along with having a ratings system accessible to patients to review and comment on performance, knowledge, and bedside manner.

Content

Equipment – There are hundreds of companies offering diabetes testing supplies, insulin pumps, injection methods, disposal methods, and apps to track Diabetic measurements. How do we know what works? What’s new? Users can rate and comment articles that are about specific companies or products, and the Equipment section is a list of the companies’ products.

Diet – Diet as a diabetic is tough. What foods are low on the glycemic index? What is a glycemic index? What foods can we have that cause the least impact on blood sugar? How do we curb that sweet tooth and get our sugary fix without turning blood into acid (diabetic ketoacidosis)? The Diet section will allow for user-submitted recipes and shopping lists (a custom shopping list, as well), and a list of most foods with their nutritional facts related to macros (carbs, protein, fat), and which diets work well with diabetes (Keto, really.)

Providers – Geographic locating for healthcare providers in a determined area. Who is rated the best in the country, state, county, city? User ratings, proximity, and provider information all in here.

News – Beta-cell and islet-cell transplants restarting the pancreas with an 88% success rate is huge news. A company is about to release a device that automatically injects with insulin when sugar is high and glucagon when sugar is low – this is an important milestone for management. Researchers find that coconut oil is as bad as beef fat: bad news for diabetics with heart conditions.

Calendar – Doctor appointments, reminders to test, schedules that work for you, and an area to input your readings with customized formulaic solutions for management. Doctors often give a formula to calculate basal insulin (the daily intake of insulin not related to foods) and bolus insulin (the insulin you take to correct high sugar and food intake). By inputting the formula into the wizard, you can receive customized doses based on your doctor’s recommendation.

Exercise – Exercise routines that help diabetics manage daily sugars, what burns the most, what’s best for the heart.

Scenarios

1.       Sarah’s son, Jake, age 4, has been diagnosed with Diabetes at her local hospital. She lives in a small town in Minnesota, about an hour from St. Louis. The healthcare available in her town isn’t stellar, as the budget for the hospital isn’t what it’s like in the big city. Sarah is on her laptop looking for resources for newly-diagnosed children and she comes across our site. She knows that her workplace insurance will cover much of her child’s expenses and she wants Jake to have the best endocrinologists the area can give. She finds a 4.7-star rated doctor an hour away in St. Louis and decides to book an appointment with her.

2.       Tony is 53 years old and has had diabetes for about 41 years. He’s got a bad habit of not testing his sugars unless reminded because his work demands much of his attention. His calendar on our site integrates with the calendar on his phone and pushes a reminder to him at specific times he requested: 7AM when he wakes up, 12PM just before lunch break, 3PM nearing the end of his work day, 6PM before dinner, and 10PM before bed – times he needs to keep track the most.