Gamification of Self-care by Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Abstract

The project addressed by this paper was undertaken by graduate students in a healthcare-related design studio course within the MID program in the School of Industrial Design at the Georgia Institute of Technology. After being briefed on the problem, students began with background research intended to help identify and understand the needs of various users, existing solutions, the use environment, as well as specific developmental requirements. In researching this problem further, the team that is the focus of this paper narrowed their attention from general medication adherence to the specific issue of medication adherence in Type 2 Diabetic patients. The team wished to address this population segment after discovering that the required adjustments to lifestyle & medication adherence are particularly problematic and challenging to the newly diagnosed. This paper details the process of how this team leveraged “gamification” of the self-care process to ease the process of updating diet, medication and lifestyle habits. The design encouraged the patient to care for a virtual pet which moved the focus away from oneself and towards the virtual companion. By caring for this virtual pet, the patient could improve his/her self-care, presumably resulting in improved exercise, diet & medication adherence. This “gamification” contrasted with more traditional conceptual solutions proposed by other teams that included improved medication organizers, medication dispensers, and reminder Apps. The lifestyle adjustments required by a Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis are largely a psychological and emotional challenge; addressing these problems through providing care for a virtual companion was a novel approach.