The Project
This project was a speculative redesign to answer one question: What would the Contour app look like if we designed it today?
goals
- Evolve the current app design to integrate with existing and emerging technologies, such as Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM)?
- Explore the future of new UX standards, such as navigation, data entry, data visualization, and more
- Find and alleviate current user pain points
Research & Discovery
Understanding the Spectrum of Users
Diabetes management is not one-size-fits-all. Users range from newly diagnosed patients relying entirely on finger-stick BGM, to experienced users integrating continuous CGM sensors. Each archetype has fundamentally different mental models, habits, and expectations.
The BGM User
Traditional
Finger-stick only
- Logs readings manually throughout the day
- Needs fast, low-friction entry - often testing mid-activity
- Trusts familiar patterns; wary of change
- Wants to see trends without learning a new system
- Often older demographic, so accessibility matters
The CGM Early Adopter
Tech-forward
Continuous sensor
- Gets readings automatically every few minutes
- Wants rich visualization of trends, not just snapshots
- Willing to explore; expects app to match sensor quality
- Frustrated by apps that treat CGM data as an afterthought
- Needs calibration flows that feel intuitive and reliable
Key Intentions That Shaped the Design
Accessible
Design for both BGM and CGM users in a single, unified experience without making either feel like second-class citizens.
Familiar
Build on the legacy of the current app. The redesign should feel evolved, not alien – familiar patterns, modernized execution.
Intelligent
Use AI and sensor data to shift from reactive logging to proactive guidance. The app should anticipate, not just record.
Effortless
Make entries effortless. Logging insulin, carbs, and activity should take seconds and not disrupt the user's day.
Systematic
Design a system, not just screens. Every
component should be reusable and adaptable
as the product evolves.
Intentional
Surface the right data at the right time and reduce cognitive load. Users shouldn't have to dig for what matters most right now.
The Updated Design
- This evolution of the Contour Diabetes app creates a seamless integration of CGM and BGM data with an automatic transition between the two
- The new interface is simple and builds on the legacy of the current app
- Artificial intelligence allows the app to learn about the user and present a personalized experience
- An extended user experience includes CGM insights delivered on smart watches
- Presenting a clean and well-designed interface will set the app apart from the competition
Screens
Calibration
Calibration is simple and seamless when you connect and sync any Bluetooth-enabled Contour meter.
Insights
Users have access to intelligent insights, including streamlined Patterns that are tailored to CGM data
What I Learned & What's Next
Reflection
This project pushed me to design for an unfamiliar domain — medical devices — where the stakes of a poor UX decision are real. The biggest challenge wasn't the visual design. It was earning the trust of users whose relationship with this app is daily and deeply personal.
Designing for CGM integration also taught me to hold multiple user models simultaneously – the BGM user who logs manually and the CGM user for whom data is automatic. A good solution had to feel native to both, without being a compromise for either.
If I continued this work
- User test the calibration flow with real CGM users – it's the highest-friction moment and the one I'm least confident in without feedback
- Explore a widget and complications layer for Apple Watch – readings are exactly the kind of glanceable data that belongs on the wrist
- Validate the AI insights framing: do users trust algorithmic pattern-detection, or does it feel presumptuous?
- Build a full component library to support the system properly
- Audit accessibility since high-contrast modes are essential in a medical context
