Koi: Educational Tool Empowering Children with Diabetes
We designed Koi because it is hard to get medical care for children living with diabetes in remote areas, especially since they need continuity of care. This solution looks from an individual and a systemic view consisting of a board game with an app, a toy, and a nurse platform.
Project background
For people who live in remote areas, access to healthcare is poor due to the long distances. Especially for people who live with chronic diseases like diabetes, this puts challenges on getting regular access to healthcare. Diabetes has increased by 40% in Västerbotten (north of Sweden) between 2009–2019. If not managed well, this will lead to devastating complications, such as heart disease, nerve damage, blindness, kidney failure, amputations, and mental illness. There is an increasing demand to take a preventative approach in the future- especially when it comes to chronic diseases.
Project details
Project team - Amanda Wallgren, Sam Zandbergen, Laura Bisbe
Collaborators - Nordic Welfare Center and Region Västerbotten
Project Duration - 10 weeks
My role
My focus in this project is the fuzzy front end, for example, design ethnography, Interviews, Journey mapping, Logo, and font which is part of the design visual language and workshop facilitation, also organized for concept validation in the end.
Award
Concept video
Context
Healthcare quality is poor in remote areas. People who live with chronic diseases like diabetes in remote areas have challenges getting regular access to healthcare.
Challenge
Lack of education on diabetes
Diabetes has increased by 40% in Västerbotten (north of Sweden) between 2009–2019. If not managed well, can lead to heart disease and amputations.
Barriers to care
The current solution lacks continuity of care e.g. travel to a healthcare center is challenging.
Status quo
The role of patients is passive and they have to wait to be treated.
How might we facilitate education, ensure continuity of care, and challenge the status quo between patient and nurse for children living with diabetes?
Koi - an educative tool empowering children with type 1 diabetes. When the Koi Companion is hugged it reads the glucose sensor on the child’s arm using an NFC reader. It then retrieves the medical data and gives feedback to the nurse’s platform where one can keep track of vital health data while, at the same time, supporting the child through playing games for their learning journey at a distance. At the age of 6–7 years old, children start learning how to handle their diabetes.
Koi Companion
Challenge the status quo by empowering children by giving them more control and responsibilities to manage diabetes at a distance. When the toy is hugged, it reads the glucose sensor, that most people with diabetes are equipped with today, on the kid's arm using an NFC reader. It then retrieves the kid's values and gives feedback. This motivates the kid to take care of the toy like a friend while taking care of themselves. For example, when the Koi companion’s levels are stable the kid’s will also be. The lighting pattern on the toy will change depending on the kid's blood sugar level.
Board game
Gamifying learning experiences for children is fun, so their diabetes can be managed well with early education. The Board game comes with different tokens representing different types of food used to give input on the board. The physical board allows tangible input and digital output through the screen. The kid will be able to engage in personalized challenges sent out by the nurse.
Diabetes Nurse Platform
The nurse can keep track of the kid's health data and support them through their learning journey remotely. They can also see how the kids interact with their distance tools and how this relates to their blood sugar levels. Continuity of care remotely. Diabetes nurses can monitor the progress of diabetes at a distance and prescribe new games.
Process
Ethnography research
Prototyping
Field trip
Peer-reviewed articles
Journey mapping
Role play
Field research
The purpose is to find out what people are most concerned with. It is continuity of care, and taking control of your health.
We traveled to Storuman to discover, observe, and chat with medical professionals, the city council, and local community. This helps us to get a feeling of the major challenges of remote healthcare.
12 Interviews
3
People with diabetes type 1
2
Medical professionals
4
Parents
1
Community expert
2
Siblings
1
School staff
“Current learning material is difficult to explain to children. Some parents tackle this through making up fairytales or create challenges with rewards if the kid manages their diabetes in the right way.”
— Parents to their children with diabetes
“There is a gap in-between hospital visits when patients and their family, will feel like they are left with all the responsibility and no support.”
— Diabetes nurse
Sense making
We use a physical map to play and see who is involved in the remote healthcare system. Who are the important players who could help children living with diabetes?
Competitor Research
Rapid Prototyping
Current solutions focus on reducing time travelled and lower business costs, not education for children with diabetes.
Lo-fi prototyping helped us to think visually and play around the nuances missing from writing and imagination alone.
Role play
Lo-fi prototyping helped us to think visually and play around the nuances missing from writing and imagination alone.
Behind the scenes
Reflection and learnings
Team dynamics is one of the most important things I learned in this project. Team culture, goals, personalities, work habits, values, work ethics, empathy as a designer, and observing how a team works together is valuable. I also learned the power of play: make rough prototyping to lead you to ideas that can inspire you.
The best insights come from chatting with people when they are most relaxed, for example at lunch and dinner table. During our school trip, we listened deeply and tried to see ourselves in other people’s shoes.
I also quite enjoyed the design process itself, it’s a huge messy ball, but in the end we tried to tie everything together.
World Expo in Dubai
We are lucky enough to be able to exhibit our Koi at the world expo in Dubai.
