Dexcom- Understanding and Tackling Membership Churn

Dexcom is a leading medical technology company, known for its continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems., the most recent iteration being G7, Dexcom also invests in other ventures such as Diabetes education and resources for Health Care Professionals (HCPs) called SIGMA, which is where we start our journey.

Summary

Over the course of two months, I conducted qualitative and quantitative discovery research to understand the current landscape with Dexcom SIGMA Health Care Professionals, specifically identifying the pain points and needs of healthcare professionals to combat churn in usage. FreshForm's cross-functional approach to tackling this project with research led to the design of a robust product roadmap that successfully addressed membership churn.

Example of Dexcom’s G7 CGM Product

The Problem

FreshForm Inc. was enlisted by Dexcom, to enhance their SIGMA web and mobile app, aimed at providing HCPs with educational resources on Diabetes technology (Podcasts, articles, videos). Facing underwhelming user traction, our multidisciplinary team of designers, researchers, and developers was tasked with identifying and addressing issues of churn.

A Challenge

Initially, the research team and client stakeholders presumed they grasped the cause of churn and aimed to proceed directly to the design phase, with evaluative testing planned post-prototype design. I pushed back on this feeling we hadn’t discovered what the root cause of the problem was, stressing the necessity of feedback to grasp user behaviors and attitudes.

I discussed my concerns with my manager and team members, respectfully advocating for the benefit of discovery research. We recognized the need to adhere to a specific budget but ultimately agreed that a short Discovery research phase would be essential to developing a product roadmap for Dexcom.

A crude outline of a research plan used to advocate my position to our client and internal teams.

Goals

To uncover areas of need and pain for HCPs

To uncover usability issues that could be impacting usage

To present findings to client stakeholders and incorporate information into future product roadmaps.

Teams

FreshForm Research Team

FreshForm Design Team

FreshForm Development Team

SIGMA’s CX Team

Research Results

By conducting stages of a heuristic evaluation, in-depth semi-structured interviews, and generative user testing, we were able to define tangible recommendations for SIGMA’s product roadmap.

1. Update Site Global Navigation: Improve site usability, especially regarding the SIGMA’S resources tab, to alleviate challenges in site movement.

2. Consistent Notification: Need to improve the consistency and specificity of notifications whenever content is added to SIGMA's website so that users can stay well-informed.

3. Expand Content Categories: Improve the discoverability of specific content. Data Interpretation exercises, and clinical evidence, to drive thought leadership and enhance the platform's reputation. For HCPs with minimal time.

4. Explore Features that Save Users Time: SIGMA users are very busy and allowing for easy and quick access to information is essential to keep SIGMA useful in their eyes (Ex: Video Speed Controller, Article Summaries, etc)

Our Final Insights Presentation Outlining all Insights

Process

Heuristic Evaluation

I facilitated a comprehensive internal analysis of Sigma's platform through a Heuristic Evaluation, strategically pinpointing design issues within the user interfaces. This evaluation was conducted by FreshForm’s team comprising designers, researchers, and developers (n=5), and was closely supervised by stakeholders.

Key Discoveries

  1. Challenges in seamless page navigation (attributed to the Lack of User Control and Freedom)

  2. Issues with the organization and intuitiveness of the information architecture (associated with Recognition over Recall).

Heuristic Evaluation Report that we provided to Dexcom, select the image for the full report.

Semi-Structured Interviews

I conducted Qualitative User Interviews with SIGMA Users (HCPs) to explore attitudes and perceptions pertaining to SIGMA. The process consisted of one-on-one sessions with five HCP. We developed a detailed research plan centering questions around uncovering current pain points associated with their experience, along with understanding their desires for potential additions to the platform.

Key Discoveries

  1. Our investigation highlighted a demand for new, targeted content categories, coupled with a redesign of the information architecture. Users believe that such enhancements would further solidify the site's already established reputation as a dependable resource.

  2. Users expressed dissatisfaction with the current sporadic and vague notifications that provided them with updates on site content. Users stated that this inconsistency led them to miss out on updated content. The consensus was clear: there's a need for greater consistency in communication from the organization to ensure users stay informed.

An Interview session with a Physician (Simulated)

Generative User Test

I spearheaded a stage of Generative User Testing that was crafted to delve into the minds of HCPs, aiming to comprehend the nuances of their behaviors during interactions with SIGMA. Employing the Think Aloud Protocol Framework, we conducted a series of navigation tasks measuring the time to complete the task and the error rate per task, This method proved highly effective, revealing non-attitudinal data that provided a distinctive insight into the professionals' interaction patterns with the website.

Key Discoveries

  1. Navigational Challenges in Dashboard Usage: While healthcare professionals (HCPs) generally found the site easy to navigate, they encountered significant difficulties when trying to return to the main dashboard from individual web pages. This observation helped reaffirm the conclusions drawn from our heuristic evaluation.

  2. Long for Features that Save User’s Time: SIGMA users are very busy and allowing for easy and quick access to information is essential to keep SIGMA useful in their eyes (Ex: Video Speed Controller and article Summaries, were all cited as potential ways to do this.)

Example of results from the Generative User Test

Results and Future Goals

Were we successful? Absolutely!

Our research team collaborated closely with designers and client stakeholders, engaging in a meticulous synthesis of an extensive pool of raw qualitative data through affinity diagramming.

In tandem with this qualitative data gathering, we conducted a thorough analysis of quantitative data sourced from Drupal our web management and analytics platform. This dual approach, combining qualitative depth with quantitative precision, fortifies the robustness of our findings.

Within the first few weeks of presenting our updated insights, we conducted an immediate SWOT Analysis and began Designing a robust Product Roadmap for future SIGMA iterations.

Currently, SIGMA has increased its active users YOY and user engagement which has made the client very happy.

What I learned

  • Balancing stakeholder expectations adds a layer of research skills

  • Researching while focusing on project value and technical capability is essential

  • Considering these factors in every research project

What I learned (2024 Update)

  • Keeping stakeholders up to date with your research findings (through weekly updates, newsletters, etc) is essential. It is the kind of communication that helps improve relationships with stakeholders.

  • With both qualitative and quantitative data, don’t forget the importance of the business goals. That is what makes a finding a true insight.