Roche’s Social Network for Diabetes Patients
Healthcare Service Design
Published on: 
2011
Consulting, Storytelling
  • Roche’s Social Network for Diabetes Patients 
    Healthcare Service Design
  • The Opportunity & Journey
    Roche has a valuable pipeline of cardiometabolic products targeted at improving outcomes for people with diabetes and related diseases. As part of their go-to-market strategy, they wished to take a patient-centered approach to understand latent market needs and to take an innovative approach to the market.

    Selected Insights & Design Implications
    • The patient-physician communication does not adequately address the lifestyle related changes required to control Type II diabetes  
    • Patients often felt a sense of deprivation as food is often associated with enjoyment and socialization
    • Patients tended to make lasting changes when they had the advice and support of other patients who had been there before

    The Results
    The Diabetes Social Network was developed to assist Type II Diabetes patients in understanding what diabetes is, how to make changes and how to stick to them over time. Cooler worked with internal stakeholders to design and launch a controlled and scalable social network that allows patients to communicate and share with one another. The network was expanded and has also been adopted by Roche Diagnostics.
     
    Customer Quote
    “Cooler brought a deep and personal understanding of a complex disease. The Social Network provides a new and innovative way to understand and assist patients.” – VP of Marketing, Roche Pharamceuticals