Three smartphone screens displaying health tracking app interfaces. The first screen shows a list of health questions with icons, the second displays a step count and activity graph, and the third shows daily health insights including blood glucose and steps.

DESIGN SYSTEM FOR A DIABETES APP

Designing a Flexible, Accessible Design System for Older Adults.

Onduo’s app was a patchwork of inconsistent components, slowing the time it took to build new features and confusing users. As a collaborator on the design system, I helped audit components, define principles, and create flexible, accessible patterns, so the team could move faster while keeping the product clear and consistent for older users.

Role
Visual Designer

Contributions
Visual Design, Iconography, Component Creation, Design Documentation, Prototyping

Scope
Design Systems, Mobile Design

Company
Verily Life Sciences

Year
2019 – 2020

THE CHALLENGE

Inconsistencies Slowing Teams Down.

Before the design system, Onduo’s app was entirely hardcoded. Each new feature required rebuilding components from scratch, which led to inconsistent visuals across colors, buttons, cards, and illustrations.

For designers, these inconsistencies caused slower design and prototyping workflows.

For an app supporting older adults with diabetes, these inconsistencies risked adding unnecessary confusion to an already sensitive health journey.

Audit of all the screens in the app to see the inconsistencies

MY ROLE

Collaborating With the Verily Rapid Design Team

My contributions as a visual designer on the team:

  • Audited existing components

  • Helped define principles for consistency

  • Explored flexible patterns and components

  • Checked accessibility with a focus on older users

Component Explorations

FOCUS ON THE USER

Designing For Older Adults

We started with Material Design as a base and shaped it with our own design principles: friendliness, approachability, and confidence. These principles made the product felt trustworthy, accessible, and credible.

Icons representing stretching, relaxing, dining, and healthcare.

High contrast colors and clear illustrations

Screenshot of a challenge description from a program called Onduo Challenges, explaining the Plate Method for balancing vegetables, proteins, and carbs, with a button labeled 'Button'.

Extra rounded corners to create a friendlier look

A digital interface with three options: 'Active' (unchecked), 'Pressed' (checked), and 'Disabled' (unchecked and faded), with the 'Pressed' option being selected by clicking on it.

Larger padding and touch targets to reduce errors

User Onboarding Screens

Screenshots of a mobile health app providing support for diabetes management, with an illustration of healthcare professionals and a list of health questions.

BEFORE

Rigid, abstract imagery lacked warmth and felt clinical.

AFTER

Clear, figurative illustrations make the content feel more approachable.

Screenshots of a mobile app interface showing support for diabetes management, with illustrations of healthcare professionals and patients, and a list of questions about blood sugar, physical activity, medication, and living with diabetes.

Home Dashboard and History

Screenshots of a health tracking app showing glucose readings, step count, activity time, and meal details on two smartphone screens.

BEFORE

Dark, dense layout with limited hierarchy made it harder to spot progress and trends.

Two smartphone screens displaying health tracking app interfaces. The left screen shows blood glucose readings with specific levels, timestamps, and a step count. The right screen shows daily health insights, including time in range, total steps, glucose level chart, and a meal entry.

AFTER

Light, structured design with clearer hierarchy made data and insights easier to understand.

IMPACT AND RESULTS

The final output included:

  • Documentation of component specs and implementation status

  • Component and icon library in Sketch

  • Stickersheet file shared across teams

These resources became a single source of truth that sped up prototyping, ensured consistency, and made collaboration between designers, writers, and developers much smoother.

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