Minimal testing: Device lowers stress for diabetics

Eindhoven – In a bid to reduce the stress associated with diabetic testing, designer Mickaël Boulay has created the Measuring Less to Feel More project, which introduces a device that communicates blood sugar readings in a calm, intuitive way.

In interviews with diabetes patients, Boulay found that many experienced stress as they waited for numerical test results. But people who have type 2 diabetes do not need exact and quantified readings to stay healthy, says Boulay. They simply need to know whether their blood sugar level falls within a general acceptable range.

‘If I can use a metaphor, the object with the number is shouting at you, and I wanted to make a device that would whisper to you,’ Boulay tells LS:N Global. Readings appear slowly, as a blur of glowing light. Boulay says he wanted to counter the Self-Quant trend in which people gather increasingly precise information about their health, with a process that emphasises feelings.

For more on changes in how consumers monitor their health at home, read our InPatients tribe.