Game Display Grid for Diabetes Testing Motivation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Individuals with diabetes often fail to follow regular blood glucose testing regimens due to inconvenience, discomfort, and emotional or social issues, leading to poor disease management and increased health complications.

Innovation Solution

A diagnostic device with a game display that provides immediate feedback and incentives, featuring a grid that displays test results and rewards for consistent testing, encouraging users to adhere to their personalized testing schedules through a dynamic scoring system and bonus points.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If regular blood glucose testing is required to manage diabetes effectively, then health outcomes improve, but patient compliance deteriorates due to inconvenience, discomfort, and emotional burden

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvediabetes management effectivenessVSAvoidpatient compliance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The device provides immediate visual feedback through a grid display that fills spaces with characters or colors when testing targets are achieved. The score area continuously updates to show progress, creating a feedback loop that motivates patients to continue testing and improves compliance with the testing regimen

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The device transforms the monotonic testing process into a dynamic game by changing the display parameters - spaces transition from empty to filled, scores increase, and visual indicators change. This parameter transformation makes the repetitive testing process engaging and improves patient compliance

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If children are monitored for blood glucose levels to prevent health complications, then disease management improves, but psychological well-being deteriorates due to feeling different from peers

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisease managementVSAvoidpsychological burden
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The game display provides immediate positive feedback when testing targets are met, filling spaces and awarding points. This positive reinforcement approach encourages children to continue testing while associating the activity with achievement and reward rather than punishment or stigma

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The device converts the potentially harmful psychological burden of diabetes monitoring into a beneficial gaming experience. By framing required testing as game objectives with rewards, the device transforms a source of psychological distress into an engaging activity that improves both compliance and emotional well-being

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Device complexity

If a simple display shows only test results, then device complexity is reduced, but patient motivation deteriorates due to lack of engagement

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisplay simplicityVSAvoidpatient motivation
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The display adds a temporal and progressive dimension to the simple test result by showing a grid that fills over time as targets are achieved. This transforms a static result display into a dynamic progress visualization that maintains engagement without significantly increasing device complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The same display hardware performs multiple functions: showing immediate test results, tracking cumulative progress through the grid, and providing motivational feedback through score updates. This multi-functionality enhances patient motivation while avoiding the need for separate complex subsystems

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP2218393A1Display of a diagnostic device
Publication Date: 2010.08.18 ROCHE DIAGNOSTICS GMBH
  • EP2218393A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2218393A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2218393A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The present invention relates to a diagnostic device (2) comprising a display (12), such as a blood glucose measuring device, which display includes a grid (14) which defines a plurality of spaces (16). In use, a sample of body fluid, such as blood, is obtained and the device determines a diagnostic concentration in the sample. Once the diagnostic concentration is determined, one of the spaces displays an indicia associated with the result of the diagnostic test and a character associated with the successful completion of the diagnostic test. The display also includes a score area which displays another indicia relating to the level of success of a patient's diagnostic testing regimen.