Embecta
Designing for Thirty-Seven Million People the Pump Industry Forgot.
A patch pump experience blueprint that shaped an app, a device, and an ecosystem around the physical, cognitive, and emotional work of living with Type 2 diabetes.
Challenge
Thirty-seven million Americans live with Type 2 diabetes (T2D), yet the insulin pump industry developed wearable technology almost exclusively for Type 1 (T1D) patients — leaving the largest, fastest-growing segment of the diabetes population without a device-specific solution. To close that gap, BD partnered with THRIVE to establish the requirements for a new patch pump ecosystem and define the ideal user experience for Type 2 patients.
Approach
To understand what daily life is really like for people with Type 2 diabetes, we conducted mobile ethnographies capturing their emotional and functional needs across the full pump therapy journey. That evidence became the foundation for the innovation priorities behind BD’s wearable insulin pump ecosystem — designed specifically for Type 2 patients.
Impact
Translated the physical, cognitive, and emotional needs of people with Type 2 diabetes into a Patch Pump Ideal User Experience Framework that shaped the Control App and its supporting ecosystem. The insights advanced Embecta’s commercialization path — earning FDA clearance and Breakthrough Device Designation in 2024 — opening the door to a T2D market underserved by T1D-centric competitors.
