Unified visualization integrates continuous glucose and insulin pump data for improved diabetes management decisions

Effective diabetes management, particularly for individuals relying on continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and insulin pumps, demands precise integration of complex physiological and therapeutic data. Current commercial platforms typically display glucose traces, insulin boluses, basal rates, and carbohydrate intake in separate views. This fragmented presentation forces users to cognitively piece together events, often obscuring critical relationships between glucose fluctuations and insulin actions, thereby hindering optimal decision-making and potentially leading to suboptimal glycemic control and increased glucose variability.

This project developed a unified data visualization using the UFuRT framework, designed to consolidate disparate continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and insulin pump data streams. Researchers integrated glucose traces, insulin bolus events, basal insulin profiles, and carbohydrate intake into a single, synchronized timeline view. The design also incorporated supplementary 14-day heatmaps and summary widgets to facilitate pattern recognition and interpretation of key metrics like Time in Range (TIR), Glucose Management Indicator (GMI), and glucose variability. A high-fidelity Figma prototype was created and evaluated through heuristic evaluations and cognitive walkthroughs, guided by principles from diabetes informatics, human factors research, and visualization science.

The developed unified visualization successfully integrated glucose traces, insulin bolus events, basal profiles, and carbohydrate intake onto a single timeline, addressing the fragmentation issue of existing platforms. The inclusion of 14-day heatmaps and summary widgets was designed to enhance pattern recognition and provide at-a-glance interpretation of critical metrics such as Time in Range (TIR), Glucose Management Indicator (GMI), and glucose variability. Heuristic evaluations and cognitive walkthroughs of the high-fidelity Figma prototype identified several potential benefits. > The integrated display is expected to reduce interpretation time, significantly improve the recognition of cause-and-effect relationships between insulin administration, carbohydrate intake, and glucose responses, and support safer, more informed insulin adjustment decisions for patients and clinicians.