Nehashree Tatavarthi is a product designer shaping human insights into visual impact. 

Mobile App Design
OpenGaza
Bridge
Sama
KiddyCare
Cop-Aid

Responsive Design
Cognition at home
Perdue Chicken: The Nugget Prom

Experiential/Sensory Design
Kindergarden
SenseScape


About
Resumé



Previous Project

KiddyCare
A digital diabetes care assistant to encourage parent-teacher collaborative care planning for preschoolers with Type I Diabetes.

Role
UX Designer + Researcher

Timeline
Mar 2023 - Apr 2023 (5 weeks)

Methods
Concept Testing, Desk Research, Figma Prototyping, Persona Mapping, Research Synthesis & Insights, Sketching, User Interface (UI) Design, User Experience (UX) Design, Visual Design, Wireframing



Key Results
  • Conducted interviews with primary and secondary users and synthesized insights into need-based concepts.

  • Designed and prototyped an interactive experience for the end-to-end user flow.



Understanding Type I Diabetes

Type I Diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition that prevents the pancreas from producing insulin, a hormone that regulates the amount of sugar or glucose in the body.

Insufficient insulin production results in Hyperglycemia, also known as high blood sugar. The treatment for
Type I diabetes focuses on “reducing hyperglycemia while minimizing the risk of hypoglycemia.” (Los and Wilt)




Observing T1D in children

Research by Vehik et al. reveals, “an annual increase of 2.3% in type 1 diabetes incidence has been reported in children, with children aged <5 years experiencing the greatest increase relative to all children.”

Children in these ages are prone to irritability, a trait that is also a symptom of T1D. Because of this, a childcare provider or pediatrician may or may not be able to identify early signs of Hyperglycemia and as a result, may miss out on diagnosing the child with Type I diabetes.


A video I watched to understand the routines children with T1D follow






Personas to represent the needs and challenges of parents and children

All the information on the personas is reflective of the desk research I conducted including reviewing reputable journal articles and watching informational YouTube videos like the above.



Persona for a pre-schooler with Type I Diabetes
Persona for a mother of a child diagnosed with Type I Diabetes






The Need

Children aged 5 and below, have development skills that range from limited communication levels, difficulties expressing complex emotions and needs, as well as delayed motor skills. This makes them require regimented care that takes their age, personal development, and needs into consideration.

The Problem

The unique diabetes management needs can often get neglected in daycare settings due to the responsibility that comes with diabetes care. As a result, parents might hesitate to send their kids to daycare. 



The Intervention

KiddyCare facilitates seamless collaboration between multiple caregivers, including parents and daycare providers, to keep track of and supervise the needs of children with T1D.







Initial Concept Sketches


Concept 1: Diabetes care network
 Concept 2: Care package delivery service
 Concept 3: Meal-plan subscription service


Crazy-8 rapid-fire concept sketches






Understanding the ecosystem of responsibilities  

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that “child care providers not discriminate against persons with disabilities on the basis of disability, that is, that they provide children and parents with disabilities with an equal opportunity to participate in the child care center’s programs and services.”

The ADA.gov website also highlights the lawful responsibilities of a daycare teacher in the provision of care to children with Type I Diabetes. 

    Screenshot from the ADA.gov website with the highlighted responsibilities




I drafted out an ecosystem map to categorize the roles and responsibilities of each user and how they transfer control to one another







Combined knowledge from concept brainstorming and research helped guide mid-fidelity concepts

Slide 1: An app that helps facilitate rapid communication and daily-schedule tracking between parents and daycare providers.

Slide 2: A diabetes care assistant that helps parents and daycare providers keep track of the child’s T1D care plan. 

Slide 3: A website concept that provides T1D-related resources for parents and daycare providers managing kids with Type I Diabetes.








Research Participants

I recruited participants from Facebook groups for caretakers with T1D children, my family’s network of pediatricians, and Nextdoor for pre-school teachers in the Bay Area. 






Interview Learnings


 

Key Insight from User Testing

A balanced delegation of knowledge, skills, and education around Type I Diabetes care to daycare teachers and institutions is necessary to relieve parents of their responsibilities as well as ensure that their children’s medical needs are met. 

After the preliminary interview, I tested the 3 mid-fidelity concepts and received constructive feedback about the features, what worked and what could be improved. In general, participants enjoyed the quick chat and alert features from concept 1, the data visualization in concept 2, and the training guides in concept 3.




Final Concept



Reflection

One of my most memorable moments working on KiddyCare was when I got to talk to Zach, a 6-year-old boy, and his grandma, Laura, about their experience with Type I Diabetes. I was moved by their strength, resilience, and vulnerability as they navigated the challenges that come with a child having T1D.

 It reminded me of why it was so important to design for vulnerable populations — to design for purposeful problems and meaningful causes.




    Sources

    ADA.gov. “Commonly Asked Questions about Child Care Centers and the Americans with Disabilities Act.” ADA.gov, 1 Feb. 2023, www.ada.gov/resources/child-care-centers/.
    American Diabetes Association. “Care of Children with Diabetes in the School and Day Care Setting.” Diabetes Care, vol. 26, no. Supplement 1, 1 Jan. 2003, pp. S131–S135, https://doi.org/10.2337/diacare.26.2007.s131.
    American Diabetes Association. “Diabetes Care in the School and Day Care Setting.” Diabetes Care, vol. 33, no. Supplement_1, 30 Dec. 2009, pp. S70–S74, https://doi.org/10.2337/dc10-s070.
    Centers for Disease Control and prevention. “Managing Diabetes at School.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Aug. 2018, www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/features/managing-diabetes-at-school.html.
    Child Care Aware of America. Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies for Child Care Aware of America’s 2012 State Fact Sheet Survey [Internet]. Arlington, VA. Available from http://www.naccrra.org/. Accessed 3 June 2014.
    Los, Evan, and Andrew S Wilt. “Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 in Children.” Nih.gov, StatPearls Publishing, 13 Nov. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441918/.
    Mayo Clinic. “Type 1 Diabetes - Symptoms and Causes.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Clinic, 2022, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-1-diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20353011.
    NHS Inform. “Type 1 Diabetes Symptoms and Treatments.” Nhsinform.scot, 2019, www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/diabetes/type-1-diabetes.
    Samaan, M. Constantine, et al. “Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Pediatric and Adolescent Type 2 Diabetes Management Program at a Tertiary Pediatric Center.” Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, July 2014, p. 321, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4124128/, https://doi.org/10.2147/jmdh.s63842. Accessed 9 Apr. 2023.
    Siminerio, Linda M., et al. “Care of Young Children with Diabetes in the Child Care Setting: A Position Statement of the American Diabetes Association.” Diabetes Care, vol. 37, no. 10, 23 Sept. 2014, pp. 2834–2842, care.diabetesjournals.org/content/37/10/2834, https://doi.org/10.2337/dc14-1676.
    Spears, Darcy. “Mother Says Son’s Diabetes Creates Daycare Dilemma.” KTNV 13 Action News Las Vegas, 18 Feb. 2019, www.ktnv.com/raisingthebar/mother-says-sons-diabetes-creates-daycare-dilemma. Accessed 9 Apr. 2023.
    Vehik, K., et al. “Increasing Incidence of Type 1 Diabetes in 0- to 17-Year-Old Colorado Youth.” Diabetes Care, vol. 30, no. 3, 27 Feb. 2007, pp. 503–509, https://doi.org/10.2337/dc06-1837. Accessed 3 Dec. 2019.
    Previous Project