Being provided an independent project creating a self directed brief, my approach began by looking into the area of Health and what it means to live in a healthy lifestyle.

 

My attention was drawn to Diabetes and how this affects the human lifestyle. Investing a lot of time in researching the area, I found several issues that is associated with Diabetes on a daily basis. The idea of Glucose Monitoring seemed to be a main issue in particular.

 

Glucose Monitoring is an important process in Diabetic treatment as it is especially used to ensure glucose levels are maintained to an optimum level. However, some people have the tendency to neglect this necessity. Reasons for this were to do with the fact that traditional glucose monitoring methods involve drawing blood. Not only is this invasive, it can be uncomfortable too.

 

Looking into greater detail, I found that the "teen" age group were the most prone to neglecting this essential. Speaking to several health professionals, they gave me an insight as to why this may be. They explained that the adolescent stage is the point where we start to feel more independent and want more control in life, and so teenagers will neglect the importance of monitoring glucose levels as it does not suit their lifestyle. This being the case, if this issue is to continue this can lead to even more complications that are more difficult to deal with.

 

Furthering my research, there are current developments being made to produce a non-invasive glucose monitor, one that will suit the consumer lifestyle and will not cause discomfort. One method I found in particular utilises the use of electromagnetic waves that are transmiteed through the skin in order to detect glucose levels. 

 

I believe this had the potential to make a difference, and used this method to drive the design of the product seeing where this may lead me