I completed this project as a UX Design & Research intern at Dexcom based in San Diego. During the 10-week internship, I discovered the customer problem and understood project requirements, developed a design solution, validated through usability tests, and delivered a solution for implementation—while partnering with product development to ensure the right technical decisions were made.
Tags: MedTech | 0-1 Design | UX Research
Project Time: Jun 2020 - Aug 2020
My Responsibility: Research & Design
Results: Delivered for implementation
Dexcom is a company that sells continuous glucose monitors, commonly referred to as CGMs. These devices help persons with diabetes manage their disease by tracking and displaying their glucose levels. As part of the Desktop Extension team, my teammates and I were responsible for validating the need for and creating a desktop extension for Dexcom's suite of applications.
My responsibility is to improve Dexcom's current user experience. Specifically, to help customers quickly view their data so they can get the most benefit out of Dexcom G6.
1. There is a sensor inserted just beneath the skin that continuously measures glucose levels
2. There is a transmitter placed atop the sensor that sends real-time data out through bluetooth
3. A Dexcom receiver or smart device with the Dexcom app installed displays thereal-time data.
The Dexcom app is the software that allows smart devices to connect to the transmitter and display CGM data. The app also provides useful information like: trend arrows, trend graphs, and customizable alerts.
Stage 1
• The current experience is cumbersome and distracting.
• 85% of users note distraction from current focus.
• 85% of users want a native Dexcom offering.
We consulted with Dexcom employees, read online articles, and browsed app stores.
• Remote work has increased
• Laptop use is critical
• There are 3rd-party desktop apps
I conducted 7 interviews with users, such as Participant M, a Type 1 diabetic, to understand their needs.
• Users want to minimize phone use during work hours
For example, a student using their phone to view CGM data has to spend time getting special permission from their teacher to look at their phone when taking tests
• Users dislike when a browser or window takes up the whole screen
“I'll open Nightscout and it takes up one monitor. Having a desktop extension would be nice... I wouldn't have to either look at my phone or a desktop application” - Participant J
• Sugarmate Glance is a popular 3rd-party desktop extension
However, the experience is inconsistent with the Dexcom G6 app.
Dexcom customers are confused why Dexcom doesn't offer their own desktop extension
I summarized customer characteristics and feelings with a variety of design artifacts.
Stage 2
How might we increase access and help customers be less distracted from work?
Based on user needs I learned from research and business goals of Dexcom, I defined design principles before exploring solutions.
After finalizing design principles, I facilitated a workshop to ideate various solutions through brainstorming and affinity diagrams.
After synthesizing research, I helped define three main pain points and framed them as problem statements. Finally, we came up with 3 "how might we" questions that we aimed to answer in our designs:
• Access is Inconvenient During Work; How might we provide convenient access to CGM data?
• Use of Space is Inefficient; How might we efficiently use the space on a device?
• Loss of Trust in Dexcom; How might we create an experience that builds Dexcom's brand?
Design Explorations
With the style guide established, I started with sketches that explored the best location for the application.Thinking back to the user interviews, I quickly landed on the widget position and design to minimize distractions and and give users quick access to health data.After that, I created early mockups that I used in usability tests.
I conducted a competitive analysis to make sure we afforded more than the competition.
At this point we moved into the design process where I established a simple style guide by taking from Dexcom’s design system and Apple design libraries.Design for accessibility, especially for color blindness was also ingrained into the process.
Stage 3
I completed high-fidelity prototypes and recruited 7 customers to collect their impressions of our design through a think-aloud test. I created a testing guide and tracked results with a "rainbow" spreadsheet. Through 7 user tests, I uncovered opportunities for improvement with our designs for the graph, alerts, and errors.
Final Design
More details on visual elements and content were refined based on the results of usability test. Here are the final designs of the desktop extension.
Data at a Glance
Graph
Alerts
Errors
I improved the hover function and removed the magnify function. The top color range is purposely yellow so people with red-green color blindness can distinguish between the ranges.
I added fill colors to the background of the icon that corresponded with the trend of glucose level and we removed the delta (Δ) value.
I replaced the red dot with a warning sign which is a more universally recognized icon for signaling something has stopped working with the current application.
The final solution I designed features a glucose level indicator and trend graph in the menu bar, allowing users to access their data quickly without taking up the entire screen. Finally, I revisited the problem statements.
How might we provide convenient access to CGM data?
View your glucose level and trend at a glance.
View the history of your glucose level in different selectable timeframes with pinpoint data displayed upon hover.
How might we efficiently use the space on a device?
View detailed information without having it take up the entire screen.
How might we create an experience that builds Dexcom's brand?
Learn about how the desktop extension fits into the Dexcom ecosystem and what features it has.
See what action needs to be taken in response to the change in color and direction.
Get notified when a critical error interrupts CGM data readings.
Control whether or not you want to receive notifications.
Final Design
For Windows, we developed a proof of concept with advice from engineers.
• Windows OS colors and typography
• Bottom navigation houses desktop extension
• Windows notifications and interactions
I presented my final designs and the research validating them at an internship conclusion presentation. My work was well received.
I conducted a Kano Model analysis to help determine the next steps for this project. The categorization planes show which features Dexcom users and employees care most about.
With quantitative data from the kano model and qualitative data from interviews, I identified opportunities for continued growth of a product that excited customers.
We will use these metrics to measure if this design help customers get to clean-up start quickly and successfully.
More Quickly:
• Reduction of time to view data
• Reduction of steps to view data
• Reduction of reported distractions
More Informative:
• Increase in amount of data seen at first glance
• Increase in users of Dexcom-branded software
• What did the participants say?
“I like having it everywhere and anywhere… more places you can put it, the better.” - Participant M
“I can’t stop looking at it like I expect to see a number there. I think it can make watching your numbers not feel overwhelming.” - Participant P
• What did Dexcom say?
"First off great work. Really, really solid. Couple things that stand out to me. Appreciate the dedication to simplifying the experience. You did the research and you responded to it. Also, I don't think I've seen in any of the presentations, a roadmap. I was really excited. It was nice to see you thought through the future."
- Director of User Experience Design, Alex Diener
"Super awesome work. Thank you for this great presentation, especially for the recommendations. The road map is very impressive."
- UX Designer, Zander Wang
• What did I learn from this project?
I like conducting user interviews. I felt like the conversations we had with Dexcom customers were impactful for both sides. As a team, we gained valuable opinions and feedback to support our decision-making. For the Dexcom customers, they got an opportunity to directly communicate with the company they were a customer of and have an impact on their own experience. I look forward to more human-centered design projects that have positive impacts on both sides.
Current designers are one of your best resources. They know the work and they have done the work. Chances are, they have been in the same position of needing guidance before, and they also have the skills and knowledge that can help you figure things out. So if they say they have the time and energy to help, ask for it. Without the help and guidance of the Senior UX Designer we worked with, we would not have been able to produce the quality work that we did.
• What are the most challenging parts of this project?
It is challenging to design a product that does not already exist. There are a lot of pieces to put together and a lot of research and communication is needed to determine what comes first. Along that point, I learned that it's important to start early and often so that all ideas are laid on the table and you can get the feedback and guidance needed to move forward efficiently.
My UX design portfolio showcasing a diverse range of projects where I deliver research-driven, user-centric solutions.
Highlights include:
• Enterprise SaaS: Transforming SAP Data Custodian with modern UI designs and seamless adoption of the latest design system, resulting in improved usability and product scalability.
• Healthcare Innovation: Designing Dexcom's first desktop app, enabling diabetes patients to access glucose data conveniently and distraction-free while working.
• Data Visualization & Research: From dashboards for the San Jose Sharks to global design thinking workshops, see how I craft impactful designs and streamline complex workflows.
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