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Article
Abbott's Freestyle Libre & App.
Considering Diabetes Distress through a Design perspective.
Disclaimer: Unsolicited, speculative project for portfolio purposes. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the original brands. All trademarks and copyrights belong to their respective owners.
Freestyle Libre Sensors & Companion app.
Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) have revolutionized diabetes care by replacing manual, painful, finger pricks with automated, real-time glucose tracking via wearable sensors. This technology provides essential visibility into glucose trends, making daily management significantly more manageable for users.
Additional information
Libre by Abbott—there’s room to improve.
What do you need to know?
Abbott is currently unifying the fragmented ecosystem of its CGM companion apps into the Libre by Abbott app, which integrates data reading, caregiving, and medical reports. While currently limited to the US, the new platform introduced critical improvements like smartwatch compatibility and enhanced alarm customization.
Defining the Challenge: Diabetes Distress in the Use of Diabetes Tech.
"I'm continuously checking the freestyle libre app, being obsessed with how the graph moves, applying more insulin when it seems like I'm getting close to going out of the range and having a hypo later because of it. It's making me lose my mind".
A 22-year-old with Type 1 diabetes for 17 years shared their experience shortly after switching to a CGM.
While the modern desire for data-driven health insights is understandable, this relentless focus on precision can inadvertently increase the emotional burden on Diabetics.
By merging clinical data with user feedback, we have recognised distinct trends that connect directly to the rising occurrence of Diabetes Distress.
What is "Diabetes Distress"?
According to the ADA (2024), “diabetes distress is the emotional response to living with diabetes—the burden of relentless daily self-management and the constant awareness of potential long-term complications.”
Read here the full report on Diabetes Distress.
Diabetes management is an around-the-clock commitment, balancing glucose monitoring, physical well-being, and mental health. What is displayed and how users see their data needs to change.
Designing for Diverse User Needs
Even though the Libre app is a powerful tool, we need to support users who find it overwhelming without alienating those who rely on deep data insights.
One user highlighting the value of data, notes: "I found the graphical display extremely useful... in deciding whether to eat now... by looking at how fast and how far my blood sugar has been moving."
The challenge is to balance this utility with simplicity. As another user shared:
"I'm a type 2 diabetic... and have had moments of feeling really discouraged with all this new data and feeling like I'm doing everything wrong."
We must ensure the interface provides clarity without becoming a source of stress.
The hypothesis & prototype.
Proposed UX enhancements like progressive disclosure and modular personalisation aim to reduce this cognitive load, increase the user's feeling of control over their data, and create a more intuitive user experience.
Importantly, this maintains the option for power users, or any user who wants to view the complete main screen at any given moment.
Conclusion.
While the prototype is a Minimal Value Product (MVP), a rigid layout can limit a revolutionary product's potential. I focused solely on simplifying the Home Glucose dashboard to address Diabetes Distress, though options for modular personalization—like overlays and alternate data displays—remain open.
Because diabetes affects so many indiscriminately, healthcare technology must evolve to adapt to its complex social and profound psychological impacts on the daily lives of users.
