Diabetes is a common life-long health condition. There are 3.5 million people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK and an estimated 549,000 people who have the condition, but don’t know, however 7,000 000 people in the UK are estimated to have pre-diabetes.
Delightful Direction
Delightful Direction is a preventative tool kit for the pre-diabetic.
Since obesity is one of the leading causes of diabetes, the idea was to create a tool kit that pre-diabetics could use, in order to help them manage their diets and eating habits and help reduce their risk of diabetes.
Why I chose Diabetes?
After doing a brief set by the NHS, during my second year at university, and also working in a doctors surgery during the summer, I have developed an interest in health/human centred design.
Through working at an doctors surgery I have been exposed to many health problems that are becoming big issues. Diabetes being one of them. After meeting people who suffer from the condition and learning that type 2 diabetes can actually be controlled and prevented by adapting certain lifestyle choices, I aim to come up with a solution, that intends to reduce the amount of people from developing the condition.
Diabetes UK Focus Group
Throughout the project I have been working alongside Diabetes UK and involving them in the decisions I have made to progress my work and to make sure the tool kit fit the needs of my target audience.
Development
Throughout the project I used many different print techniques and processes, to make the tool kit user friendly and appealing to my target audience as well as keeping it cost affective
Why is it called Delightful Direction?
When speaking to people, ‘diet’ generally is quite a scary word, some people see starting a diet being too much of a commitment, and them having too many restrictions. So instead by calling the tool kit ‘delightful direction re-images the diet in diabetes to be portayed in a more in a positive way.
I felt like it was important that I have a publication which has all the essential nutritional information, the user needs to know inside of it.
By using visual planning within the publication this allows the important information inside to be broken into smaller sections and also helps the user to be able identify the foods they should be eating alot easier.
Wall planner
After watching two documentaries on diet changes and lifestyle changes to help prevent getting chronic illnesses such as diabetes, it was proven that it takes the body 30 days to adjust to starting a new diet. Another element of the tool kit is a 30 day wall planner. The aim of planner is to help people count down their first 30 days of their new and healthy lifestyle. I also wanted there to a be an interactive element to it so I decided to add the option where a mood sticker can be added so that the user can keep track of their process. By adding encouraging quotes along the way is a way of keeping the user motivated and on track
Other components of the tool kit include recipe cards, a tote bag, motivation cards and stickers to use with the wall planner.
Commercial Awareness
The tool kit will only be available to those who have been diagnosed as pre-diabetic, by a Doctor or GP, and can only be ordered by GP’s or Doctors. The application and order form both asks for patient information such as preferred language and dietary needs making it patient centred.
Sponsored by Diabetes UK Sheffield.
