Citrus
A conceptual project focused on reducing pain and burden in childhood diabetes management.
My Role
Tools Used
Spline
Figma
Framer
Adobe illustrator
Google Gemini
The Challenge: A Personal Mission
It all started with a conversation. My best friend's cousin, who has Type 1 Diabetes, would often share her struggles—the constant anxiety of needle pricks, the frustration of not being able to enjoy sweets like other kids. Her story transformed a distant medical condition into an immediate, human problem I felt compelled to address.
For children everywhere, managing diabetes is a daily battle fought with pain and fear. It’s a reality of invasive routines that robs them of a normal childhood. For parents, it's a life of constant anxiety. I knew the challenge wasn't just to design a better tool, but to restore a sense of peace and freedom to these families.
The Journey: From Technical to Human
Initially, the topic felt very technical. But that all changed when I visited a Type 1 Diabetes NGO to speak with families directly. As a solo researcher, listening to their stories was a deeply moving experience. The image of one young child who carried his own insulin in a thermos to school, injecting himself alone, was a heartbreaking testament to the burden these kids carry.
The research became less about data and more about connection. I found that playing with the children, making them laugh, and distracting them was the best way to understand their true feelings. Those moments of joy and trust were incredibly cool and reshaped my entire perspective.
The Breakthrough: Finding Hope in Science
Armed with this deep empathy, I began searching for a true solution. A better app wasn't enough; the answer had to eliminate the source of the pain. The "eureka!" moment came while reading a research paper on Ultrasound-Modulated Optical Sensing- a specific laser technology. It was the first time I realized a future without needles wasn't just a dream, but a scientific possibility. This discovery provided the technical foundation for a truly non-invasive solution.The research became less about data and more about connection. I found that playing with the children, making them laugh, and distracting them was the best way to understand their true feelings. Those moments of joy and trust were incredibly cool and reshaped my entire perspective.
The Solution: Calmness Through Simplicity
My design philosophy was not to overwhelm the experience with features, but to achieve gamification through simplicity. For a child facing a scary medical condition, the greatest reward is a feeling of calm and control.
As a solo designer, I conceptualized a minimal ecosystem:
For the child: A simple smartwatch with a clean, clear display of their glucose level. No intimidating charts or data, just the essential information at a glance.
For the parent: A minimal phone app with reports, simple food tracking, and reliable, automated reminders. It was designed to be a source of reassurance, not another source of stress.
Takeaway & Reflection
This solo project was a profound personal journey. It started as a technical challenge, but through conversations and shared smiles at the NGO, it became an exercise in empathy. The single biggest lesson I learned is that as designers, our responsibility is to connect with the human lives behind the problems we solve. It's about taking the time to understand their world, so we can build something that doesn't just function well, but feels like it was made just for them.