Accelerating Type 1 Diabetes Research
CLIENT
Diabetes Action Canada
SERVICES
UX Research & Design, UI Design, Branding
MY ROLE
Design & Research Lead
HIGHLIGHTS
First Canada-wide, digital registry for people living with Type 1 Diabetes
Featured in Globe & Mail & Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes (ATTD) International Conference
CHALLENGE
Conducting Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) research in Canada is typically characterized by painstakingly long periods of recruitment that delay research and lack diversity in participant data. Diabetes Action Canada set out to build a digital registry of patients to facilitate recruitment and accelerate research. Our team was tasked with discovering and designing a value-add we could create for patient users to incentivize their participation.
My role.
As Design & Research Lead:
facilitating in-person and remote workshops with patients
identifying core UX principles, use cases and strategies
analyzing qualitative data
translating UX insights into product features and functions
designing product concepts, IA & wireframes
creating product branding & logo
designing branded UI screens for both mobile and desktop
Finding value for patients.
PROCESS
Secondary and primary research was conducted with people living with T1D as well as researchers to understand the various user types and inform the development of a series of concept ideas. These were used in various in-person and remote patient workshops to gain feedback on which platforms might bring the most value. A researcher workshop was also facilitated to prioritize their data needs and functionality requirements.
Research &
Co-design
An initial set of 5 concept cards were developed to use during virtual and in-person concept validation workshops. These were conducted with people living with T1D throughout Canada to uncover gaps in their current experiences and identify a type of digital solution that might bring them the most value.
Various concept ideas were generated and presented to participants as catalysts for meaningful discussion. Workshops were also conducted with T1D researchers to help prioritize the data collection elements they required to help accelerate their research processes.
A set of personas was later developed to capture both the general and extreme representations of people living with T1D in Canada, positioning them according to how they relate to the chosen concept direction.
Concepting & Wireframing
After many iterations of mocks and concept flows, the team collaborated on building out the information architecture to help guide the process of developing wireframes. Using Sketch and Invision, I led the process of developing the wireframes and engaging in continuous feedback sessions with the team, while in parallel, developing the platform’s branding.
Connecting patients & researchers.
OUTCOME
The result? ConnecT1D; a platform that empowers people living with T1D to advance research, policy and clinical care. ConnecT1D enables people living with T1D to easily access, browse and bookmark current studies, while automatically identifying if they are eligible to participate through the platform’s algorithm. Patient users can connect with researchers directly through the platform to inform them of their interest to participate, while researchers can easily manage their participants and study postings.
Desktop images showcase examples of the researcher portal dashboard and a study setup screen and the researcher dashboard for tracking participant status and statistics.
NEWS HIGHLIGHT
Toronto’s Globe and Mail wrote an article praising the release of this new product, highlighting:
“Diabetes Action Canada is unleashing the power of data on a massive scale with digital health research projects that use large databases and sophisticated analysis tools.”
