Kicking type 2 diabetes into remission

Counterweight, leaders in evidence-based weight management, came to us to help them expand their reach with an affordable program that would help people kick type 2 diabetes into remission.

“You have a disease that could be fatal, but you have the power to reverse it.”

The words you hear when you are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a blood disease that affects 4.7 million people in the UK (Diabetes UK). A whirlwind of emotions ensue: shock, fear, feeling overwhelmed, and then, wondering what can I do about it?

The answer should be easy. You want to get started on a program that’s medically tried and tested, easy to access — and you want to start today.

Counterweight empowers people with type 2 diabetes to achieve remission (when blood sugar levels are healthy without taking medication) through a sustainable weight loss program. A large scale Diabetes UK clinical trial showed it to be ten times more effective than regular NHS care in helping people reach remission. Counterweight is now working with leading commissioning groups in the NHS to make this life-changing program available to patients.

But there’s a catch. Until recently, Counterweight was only available in certain locations, meaning many couldn’t access the program.

Counterweight and Designit teamed up to create a program that people will be able to access wherever they live in the UK. We sat down with Justin Slabbert, CEO of Counterweight, to hear how he used strategic design to build Counterweight’s Remote Patient offer, reduce per patient costs, and set them up for scale.

Matters: Justin, tell us about how you got involved with Counterweight.

Justin: Three years ago, my dad was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. It was a big shock, and I saw him become demotivated not knowing what to do to improve his condition.

At the same time I came across Counterweight, a sustainable weight loss program involving meal replacement shakes and support from a dietitian. I saw BBC coverage of the results from their clinical trial one evening, and knew I had to access the program for my dad. It was impossible, because it was restricted to locations where Counterweight’s practitioners were based.

This was very frustrating. I couldn’t get it out of my head — the most powerful treatment was out there, but people like my dad couldn’t access it. So I decided to do something about it. I got in touch with the management team…. and ended up joining the company!

To scale up the program, I knew Counterweight needed to expand its delivery channels. I needed help, so I reached out to Designit to shape our Remote Patient strategy and experience.

Matters: What did Designit bring to the project?

Justin: A strong understanding of how to uncover peoples’ needs and a strategic, agile approach to developing and testing a digital service. And a sense of creativity that transformed Counterweight’s brand from a clinical trial to an empathetic, reliable guide that people can use in their everyday lives.

Matters: Can you give me an example of an insight or strategic recommendation that made you change direction, or that challenged your thinking?

Justin: Sticking to the first 12 weeks of the program — of meal replacement shakes — is tough. We knew that better understanding motivation was key to keep people on track, and that people are motivated by different things at different moments in their journey.

Through immersing themselves in patients’ lives, Designit developed three behavioral types. Each had different struggles and motivations: there was the ‘Ostrich’ who puts their head in the sand when they struggle; the ‘Changing benchmark’ whose goals slip over time; and the ‘Loss of faith’ who needs robust evidence to reassure them it’s worth the effort.

These behavioral types allowed us to develop a service that helped people stay on track, by introducing messages and features that resonated with people when they needed it most. As we expand our Remote Patient offer to individuals in different settings and are faced with new challenges, we return to those behavioral types to guide us, and help us keep people in the program beyond remission.

Matters: What’s next for Counterweight?

Justin: With our new digital Remote Patient offer, we will be better able to support the NHS in Scotland, Wales and England, as well as helping private patients to access Counterweight. Ultimately, we want to take Counterweight global.

Thanks to Designit, we have gone from being a leading academic study to a dynamic Remote Patient service that helps people to achieve remission of their diabetes wherever they are.

When I got involved with the company, I was just a guy trying to help my dad. To see where we’ve come since then… is really incredible.

Check out the full case study, and to learn more about the project reach out: hello@designit.com.