Our Story

Why this app is important:

Diabetes is a leading chronic disease that impacts too many people today. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), the number of people with diabetes rose from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014 and continues to rise and in 2019, an estimated 1.5 million deaths were directly caused by diabetes. There are three types of diabetes (Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes) and without a universal cure, prevention and management are important to control this chronic disease.

Prevention and management are key strategies to control Type 2 diabetes. A healthy diet and regular physical activity are some of the most important ways to prevent or delay the onset. Or, if you already have diabetes then, following a good diet and regular exercise will help you control you diabetes. But we know that other factors play into your diabetes management as well. We all live busy stressful lives, so it is helpful to have support to assist us make better choices to in turn enable better diabetes control.

Our philosophy and goal:

Simple is the key to our philosophy. What could be more simple than an app on your mobile phone that you can access anytime anywhere that serves as your buddy to advise and support you in your decision-making with diabetes self-management? This was our goal for MyPebbleApp. To design a simple to use support solution you can take anywhere anytime to help you better manage your diabetes.

How it came to be:

To achieve these goals, we have brought together the latest in digital health, technology and software development, diabetes education and combined this with leading design principles of user-centred design and co-creation. We also focused on adult learning principles, behaviour change strategies and coaching principles.

Based on decades of research and clinical trials in various contexts and numerous countries including Australia, Canada, China, Germany, India, Sri Lanka and USA, we have identified that a key aspect to better diabetes management lies in self-management.

Supporting Research

Second Global Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes and Needs (DAWN2) Study: 3600 Perspectives of People with Diabetes, Family Members and Health Care Professionals in Canada

Exploring the possibility for a
pervasive technology solution to facilitate effective diabetes

Perspectives of Canadian People with Diabetes, Family Members and Healthcare Professionals on Active Self-Management in the 2nd Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes and Needs (DAWN2) Study

AMCIS 2019 Cancun: Sustaining Better Glucose Control

Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes and Needs Second Study (DAWN2): Understanding Diabetes-Related Psychosocial Outcomes for Canadians with Diabetes

Achieving Value-Based Care in Chronic Disease Management: Intervention Study