Scaling the App for a New Demographic: Small Change, Big Impact
CONTEXT
The app was originally designed for children with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) using a CGM (continuous glucose monitors). As the company shifted to enter the healthcare space, the app needed to support a new demographic: adults with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) and Type 2 Diabetes (T2D).
THE CHALLENGE
We needed to redesign the homepage to serve both CGM and non-CGM users.
The main feature on the homepage was a blood glucose meter that pulled data from a CGM. While this was critical for T1D users who use CGMs, it was meaningless for T2D users who often did not use CGMs.
CONSTRAINTS
Time
The company was quickly expanding into the healthcare space and needed a solution soon to accommodate the new users that were coming in.
Scope
The designs had to be built quickly and fit within the area of the meter, which limited in how much we could redesign the homepage.
Data
With T2D users being new to the app, we lacked historical data on T2D user to guide our decisions.
MY APPROACH
How might we make the homepage valuable to users without a CGM, while still serving those with one?
For T1D patients, blood glucose numbers are the most critical metric. But for many T2D patients, glucose data is less relevant — other metrics like carb intake and activity often matter more.
Working with our medical team, I realized the homepage needed to move beyond a single glucose value toward a modular, dynamic system that could fit to the different patient needs.
How might we personalize a users’ experience on the home page based on their different needs and health goals?
To push the concept further, I explored how other apps personalize dashboards and key metrics.
This helped me imagine how our homepage could evolve: not just replacing the meter, but transforming it into a customizable space where every user could see what mattered most to them.
SOLUTION
We introduced a customizable widgets feature on the home page that both CGM users and non-CGM users could utilize.
Widgets included different health metric (i.e. activity, carb intake, blood glucose trends) so all users could choose health metrics that was the most relevant to them.
For CGM users
The meter still remained the main metric, but users could add up to 2 additional health metrics for quick access.
For non-CGM users
The glucose meter slot created space for up to four widgets, allowing users to track metrics like activity/carb intake.
IMPACT
Preserved the blood glucose meter for our original audience while adding the flexibility to expand to a new demographic of non-CGM users.
Provided user choice and personalization, making the app more adaptable to diverse health needs.
CGM users + widgets enabled showed highest retention rate, demonstrating widgets improved engagement and retention.