OVERVIEW
How I made blood sugar numbers easier to understand
Gluco reframed blood-glucose logging from isolated record-keeping into a guided self-monitoring experience.
Informed by interviews with people living with Type 2 diabetes and users of self-monitoring devices, I designed a mobile app prototype that helps users identify their next log, record readings with fewer manual inputs, and explore patterns in their glucose history. The goal was to make the effort of tracking feel more purposeful, by connecting individual readings to useful feedback and clearer next steps.
Device
Mobile App
Skills
Interaction Design · Information Architecture · UX Research · UI Design · Onboarding Design
Project
Solo Project
Design contribution
Designed a simpler way to track and understand blood sugar through easy logging, timely prompts, and visual trends.
PROBLEM
POV: “It’s difficult to see the point of constantly measuring blood sugar”
For people using traditional finger-prick glucose meters (SMBG), monitoring requires repeated testing and recording, often without enough context to make sense of individual readings.
Interviews with 5 people living with Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes revealed challenges around knowing when to test, maintaining records, and understanding their value. The biggest problem: making the effort of tracking feel worthwhile.
A familiar story for diabetes patients went like this:
USER JOURNEY
- ↓
01 · Doctor’s advice
The doctor asks him to record his blood sugar readings.
- ↓
02 · Rushed review
The doctor skims the readings and asks him to continue.
- ↓
03 · Lost motivation
He does not see the value of recording and misses or forgets readings.
- ↓
04 · Emergency visits
Unexpected hospital visits follow sudden changes in blood sugar.
- ↓
05 · Renewed efforts
A doctor’s advice prompts renewed efforts to track readings.
- ↻ The cycle returns to another review.
06 · Growing frustration
As time passes, frustration grows and testing becomes sporadic.
The journey map summarizes a cycle of declining motivation, renewed effort, and inconsistent monitoring identified through the interviews. It informed the design’s emphasis on clear prompts and meaningful feedback.
SOLUTIONS
A dashboard that focused on the experience, not just data.
Through low-fidelity wireframes, I explored an easier route for users to log their blood sugar and how much information the dashboard needed to show.
CONTENT-DRIVEN DASHBOARD
Prioritizes glucose metrics, history, and charts to provide an overview of recorded health information.
FEEDBACK-DRIVEN DASHBOARD
Prioritizes timely prompts, logging progress, and clear actions to support a consistent monitoring routine.
Research and the journey map revealed that users struggled more with knowing when to log and seeing the value of tracking than with accessing their readings.
I chose the feedback-driven approach to make the next action clear, reinforce logging progress, and keep detailed trends accessible when needed.
SOLUTIONS
Making the next step clear
In the dashboard I prioritized the next log and essential readings to provide clearer guidance.
Original app design
DESIGN DECISIONS
Key decision
Prioritize guidance over information density.
Blood sugar metrics
The dashboard brings the latest glucose reading and HbA1c into view alongside the next scheduled log.
I made the next scheduled log the dashboard’s primary action, with progress and key readings visible alongside it.
SOLUTIONS
Making logging feel like less work
Simplified logging on a single screen using quick-select controls, fewer text fields, and optional inputs.
Original app design
DESIGN DECISIONS
Fewer manual inputs
Reduce repetitive typing by using a calendar for the date and icon-based selection controls.
Visual shortcuts
Icon-and-text buttons make contextual details easier to select.
Save action
Users can save without filling every optional field.
SOLUTIONS
Making sense of blood sugar patterns
Visual trends and simple summaries help users understand changes in their readings over time.
Original app design
Original app design
Key decision
Keep detailed analysis accessible without overwhelming the main dashboard.
SOLUTIONS
Making past readings easy to revisit
Organized readings by date help users quickly review past logs and discuss them with their doctors.
Original app design
Original app design
DESIGN DECISIONS
Key decision
Organize raw readings into a history that's easier to navigate and discuss.
Icons for scanning
Reused icons from the logging screen as visual shorthand for fast scanning
IMPACT
Design outcomes: Making every reading more useful
Clearer Next Steps
Shifted from a data-heavy dashboard to a guidance-first experience, making the next scheduled log and key information easier to find.
Simpler Logging
Designed a single-screen logging experience with fewer manual inputs and quick-select icons to reduce the effort
Actionable Data
Organized scattered readings into visual trends and accessible history, helping users recognize patterns
Rather than replacing expensive continuous glucose monitors, Gluco explores how to help people get more value from traditional blood glucose meters, making their readings easier to understand, revisit, and discuss with doctors.
REFLECTION
Reflection: “More data doesn't mean value.”
Working on Gluco, I initially explored ways to present more glucose information, but realized that clear guidance and meaningful feedback mattered more than the amount of data displayed.
The biggest challenge was balancing simplicity with usefulness, especially for people already dealing with the effort of managing diabetes. This pushed me to be more intentional about what information to prioritize and what to leave out.
If I were to take Gluco further, I'd test the prototype with SMBG users to understand whether the experience genuinely makes logging easier and readings more useful during consultations. I'd also explore how to make the feedback more personalized without compromising medical accuracy.
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