Tidepool Project

Software for People with Diabetes

Overview
The Tidepool Project is a non-profit dedicated to making diabetes data more accessible, actionable, and meaningful for people with diabetes, their care teams, and researchers. I worked on two products: Tidepool Loop, an iOS app for automated insulin dosing system (iAGC), and Tidepool Web, a retrospective data analysis tool.

Roles
Human Factors Researcher, Product Manager, Product Designer and Prototyper

Skills
Usability Testing, Exploratory Interviews, UX Design, Facilitation, Product Prioritization

Team
Tidepool Design and Product
Tidepool Loop
DIY Loop began as a community driven project as part of the #WeAreNotWaiting movement for people with diabetes to gain control over their care. Tidepool is further developing Loop and bringing it through the FDA process to broaden access beyond its technologically-advanced, original user base.
PROBLEM
DIY Loop began as a community driven project as part of the #WeAreNotWaiting movement for people with diabetes to gain control over their care. Tidepool is further developing Loop and bringing it through the FDA process to broaden access beyond its technologically-advanced, original user base. Since the product began as a grassroots effort, a lot of open questions remained about the safety and usability of Loop in the general intended use population. I led the overall strategy, usability testing, prototyping, and data analysis of Tidepool’s inaugural human factors study with a team of two product designers and a product manager.
Research Protocol
61 formative usability testing sessions were completed that included several dry runs of the research protocol that I helped craft. Users were assessed on tasks critical to use including suspending insulin delivery, responding to errors, and editing therapy settings.

The final validation study, with the final protocol and iAGC device submitted to the FDA, included 51 participants of ages, genders, diverse device experiences, diabetes experience, geographic locations, and caregiving responsibility.

An example of the diverse distribution recruited and tested in our pediatric cohort

An example of a use scenario tested in the study protocol

STUDY DESIGN
Due to the pandemic and also as part of cost saving measures for our nonprofit, I implemented novel remote methods in human factors. This enabled the project to continue at a time when many other medical device companies had paused their efforts.


Tidepool had never done human factors before, so I was also responsible for training moderators and leading planning and coordination for the studies.

The validation study configuration setup on Tidepool’s end (left) and the participant’s end (right). Dual camera view from the iPhone front-facing camera and video conferencing web camera, as well as tap interaction recording, allowed for realistic and detailed study conduct.

DESIGN ITERATION
After each round of usability testing, I analyzed task performance and prioritized features that needed further iterations. Design jam sessions were held to brainstorm mitigations, after which I worked with design to refine and development to implement. Some UX changes that led significant usability improvements touched features including:
  • Pre-Meal and Workout glucose target Presets
  • Temporary status banners
  • Therapy settings safety mechanism

Pre-Meal Preset Before (Left), Pre-Meal Preset After (Right)

RESEARCH OUTCOMES
Upon completion of the validation study, I authored the validation study report containing the data analysis results submitted to FDA and assisted with the human factors engineering/usability engineering (HFE/UE) report. Participants who interacted with the product, were overwhelmingly positive, and had some of this to say about Tidepool Loop:
“Tis the magic device”
“Revolutionary”
“Peace of mind”
“It’s come so far. I used to have to pee in a bowl and dip a stick in it.”
DEVICE INTEGRATION
Central to Tidepool Loop is the concept of interoperability, in which patients can mix and match between devices (insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors) with Loop serving as the controller, thus freeing up patient choice.

With that in mind, I worked with a team of two product designers and two iOS developers to implement the product strategy for our device integrations (due to partner considerations, I’m unable to show any assets). I managed the sprint process and facilitated discussions with key stakeholders based on requirements from Tidepool’s device partners and feedback from usability testing.

Graphics courtesy of Tidepool Marketing

INTEROPERABILITY
New user facing elements and flows introduced by our device partners with each integration created new scenarios involving critical tasks. I had to develop a strategy for continuous validation of UI enhancements and new features in Tidepool Loop moving forward post-510k submission to the FDA, in line with our commitment to interoperability.
INDUSTRY FRAMEWORK
I facilitated several workshops with industry partners on the developed framework for decentralized, remote human factors research. This work has been presented via poster at the ATTD 2021 conference and published in the Journal of Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics.

Parallel workstreams and different testing configurations led to progressively higher fidelity evaluations in the run up to the validation study.

Tidepool Web
Tidepool Web provides a way for people with diabetes to view their data from a variety of glucose monitoring devices and make treatment decisions with their care team. The account management process however for clinicians is relatively basic and requires clinics with hundreds of clinicians so share one account in order to have the same patient list.
Landscape Analysis
To better understand current practices for clinics, I conducted a competitive analysis of two other diabetes software companies and also analyzed their information architecture.

Information Architecture analysis of competitor software (clinic facing)

Exploratory Research
I interviewed six clinicians and generated feature prioritization and design proposals after synthesizing their responses. Common pain points that arose included:
  • EHR integration
  • Multiple clinic workspaces
  • Pre-visit patient support
  • Account security
This research guided the UX design of the clinic interface and is currently under development.
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