Youtrust - Insulin, differently.
Project Details
How can we help people with diabetes to take their treatment correctly ?
2018-2019
Industrial Design
CMF
Branding
Featured :
Yanko Design
With over 460 million people affected worldwide, diabetes is becoming the largest non-communicable pandemic in history. A true scourge of the 21st century, diabetes affects the lives of patients to varying degrees, causing them to completely rethink their eating habits and to question their personal and professional lives. With three types of diabetes, each with its own specificities, the disease brings many daily constraints to the patient. Type 2 diabetes, the most common of all, involves a large number of daily insulin injections, linked to hyperglycaemia or hypoglycaemia. These injections, beyond being a real burden to bear every day, becoming nevertheless a habit, are sometimes badly carried out, leading to infections or pain for the individual.
The problem
With three different types of diabetes, there are many constraints. However, it is type 2 diabetes, i.e. insulin-dependent diabetes, that is most prevalent. It accounts for 90 to 95% of diabetes patients worldwide. It leads to hypo- or hyperglycaemia and requires numerous daily injections of insulin to regulate the work of the pancreas. In addition, three types of insulin are used to meet different needs throughout the day. All this information is complex to grasp and represents a high mental burden for the individual, which potentially leads to errors in treatment, either by oversight or by mistake.
463
million people in the world have diabetes
95%
of these people have type 2 diabetes
1st
non-contagious pandemic in the world
3 to 5
Injections a day
1500
injections a year
700
million people will be affected by 2050
How to make diabetes treatment less mentally burdensome and promote correct treatment
Pain Points
The most impactful point is the injection area. A correctly performed treatment is one in which the injection area varies in a precise and determined order, in order to avoid infections and pain. However, according to a study of 13,000 individuals, the number of errors reported is significant.
Existing products
The existing products are good, work well. However, during the course of this project I noted two aspects of the market that I felt were important. Firstly, when it comes to insulin injections, there are several types of objects to meet these needs. Insulin pens, the most commonly used, bring with them violent semantics and gestures, with a sometimes negative connotation, which can be misperceived by individuals. Secondly, although effective and compact, they do not allow the evolution of the number of injections to be monitored, nor the defined injection areas. This is why users sometimes make mistakes.
Explore
The research focused on compactness and the ability of the product to be comfortable to hold. The work was complicated by the dimensional constraints of the cartridges, which had to fit into the product and leave room for the mechanics.
Color, material & finishes
Formally, I wanted to give youtrust a more compact, less vertical connotation and get away from the pen aspect. With its pleasant, soft shapes and careful handling, youtrust stands out from the market
The answer
Relatively different from what is offered on the market, youtrust provides the user with real added value: the ability to follow his or her treatment and to have at hand the advice needed to ensure that his or her diabetes treatment runs smoothly. With a simple click, the user can follow the number of injections per day, per month or per year, follow the advice for a correctly performed injection as well as know the prescribed injection area in order to avoid infections and pain.
How it works ?
Youtrust works like any other insulin pen and should be used according to the same guidelines. Instead, with a simple button and a small screen, the device allows the user to know the number of doses, the insulin setting to be injected, the injection area as well as good advice on injecting in the right place.
When the user turns the dial to set the insulin dose, it appears directly on the display.
The information is simple and to the point, so that users notice it straight away.
What is it made of ?
Youtrust has been designed to be as cost effective as possible. Made of polypropylene, it has a low-resolution screen that costs a few dollars per unit (production cost). It also has a PCB and a standard mechanism for ejecting insulin.
Branding
Youtrust's communication was intended to be disruptive, strict and rather austere. The image of Youtrust, inspired by nature and rocks, shows a certain authenticity and mastery. It also proves the quality and durability of the product.
