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“Sweetpaw” is a cutting-edge prototype that was presented at the Microsoft Design Expo 2020. It is an innovative AR glasses application that offers groundbreaking solutions for people who live with diabetes and struggle with sugar cravings.
“Sweetpaw” is a cutting-edge prototype that was presented at the Microsoft Design Expo 2020. It is an innovative AR glasses application that offers groundbreaking solutions for people who live with diabetes and struggle with sugar cravings.
CDC report shows: 34.2 million people in the US have diabetes. That’s about 1 in every 10 people. 88 million adults — more than 1 in 3 — have pre-diabetes. And they are getting younger and younger.
Diabetes patients have a higher risk of being troubled by mental health issues, which also affected the illness in a negative way.
“WHY DO DIABETES PATIENTS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH
THE EXERCISES AND DIET REGULATIONS THEY NEED?”
Based on 53 valid responses to the survey and 6 interviews with patients, we found out that limited food choice is the main challenge for them, and the main reason cause anxiety.
Through conducting interviews, we discovered that patients who lack support from their family or friends tend to experience more intense cravings, which can result in a negative cycle of craving and guilt.
Mark has managed diabetes for over 12 years, and he develops a workable system of suitable foods and recipes. But he has craving for cookies, and whenever he has craving, he will feel like failure and get depressed. So even he has rich knowledge and experience to manage glucose, he still have blood sugar spike problems.
“WHEN I FEEL DEPRESSED, I AM CONSTANTLY CRAVING FOR COOKIES TO COMFORT MYSELF, BUT I WOULD BEAT MYSELF UP AFTER EATING THEM.”
Gale is a social worker that works from 9-5. She lives alone and has few friends around during pandemic.She used to take 30 mins walk per day for exercise and stress releasing, but Covid stopped her routine. She has no sources to reach out, so stress eating is developed and become an obstacle for glucose management.
“SOMETIMES I NEED SOMEONE TO TELL ME THAT THEY UNDERSTAND AND CARE. FIGHTING DIABETES FOR ME HAS BEEN A LONELY JOURNEY.”
According to our research, we identified that one of the biggest challenges in managing diabetes is the vicious cycle between restricted lifestyle and stress. This cycle makes it difficult for people with diabetes to adhere to the necessary regulations and can be a major source of frustration.
We developed a persona and user journey map based on the experiences of Gale and Mark, who were struggling to manage their diabetes due to the interplay between craving and depression. Our goal was to create a solution that would help them break the loop and make glucose management easier.
1. People who have type 2 diabetes
2. People who have craving problems or have troubles with foods
3. People who always feel stress or less help
4. People who link food with happiness and grow stress eating
5. People who want to manage glucose better and easier
Our goal is to develop a product that can help people with diabetes manage their glucose levels with less stress and frustration, and ultimately improve their confidence and quality of life.
To better design a useful product without potential harms or mistakes, we did research on how to manage craving and leverage depression problem.
Imaginal retraining therapy is a psychological treatment that helps reduce craving, which is proven to be effective for a large scale of people in scientific research. It requires users to imagine grabbing a healthy food, lifting high while coupling with positive imagined experiences.
Imaging a nature scene or companion with pets can offer positive experiences. Both of these experiences can give a more real feeling with AR.
We conducted interviews and academic research to gather insights, and based on that, we designed an AR product for Hololens. The product features a virtual companion that helps users manage their diabetes by tracking their data and keeping them on track with their plan. Our goal is to reduce the difficulties associated with managing glucose levels, increase confidence, and improve the quality of life for people with diabetes.
The reason we chose AR is because to best conduct imaginal retraining therapy, a vivid scene is essential part of it.
We made the scene in Unity, and use Maya and Face Capture to project facial expression on virtual companion's face, so it can be more human-like and can show empathy to people with diabetes.
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The speculative design project had a two-month deadline, which did not allow for prototyping and testing. Upon reviewing the product, several important considerations arose for future implementation:
1. How to onboard users and guide them in using the features and interacting with the virtual companion?
2. How to establish a safe zone in the AR glasses to prevent physical harm while using the product?
3. How to design for users who can only interact with the companion through typing, and allow for inputting data?
4. How to ensure data safety and protect user privacy?
5. How to make the product accessible for users with disabilities?
6. How long should the product encourage users to engage with the AR glasses before fatigue sets in?
