Nido makes insulin injections safer and extra handy for individuals with diabetes
When Zoey Chan was recognized with Kind 1 diabetes at simply 20, her world shifted in a single day.
The then–NUS Industrial Design pupil needed to discover ways to inject herself with insulin three to 5 instances a day, monitor her blood sugar across the clock, and carry round a jumble of needles, pens, and caps all over the place she went.
It was a brand new actuality she wasn’t prepared to simply accept.
“I used to be in denial for probably the most half,” Zoey recalled. “I refused to imagine that this situation was actual and that my total life needed to change proper then and there. It was terrifying and isolating to navigate dwelling with the situation.”
Acceptance was one factor, however dwelling with it was one other. Her every day routine began turning into extra tedious and emotionally draining. Injecting insulin a number of instances a day, usually in public, felt awkward, messy, and isolating.
On high of that, she needed to carry round used needles, which have to be disposed of in onerous, puncture-resistant containers with safe lids, along with their caps. “I used to be uninterested in fumbling with the small elements, digging by my bag for needles, and the way clunky the entire course of felt when all I needed was to get on with my day,” she mentioned.
Zoey even started storing her provides in a spectacles case as a result of she couldn’t discover a pouch that was compact or organised sufficient.
By conversations with others who additionally dwell with Kind 1 diabetes, she realised the issue wasn’t hers alone. “The instruments we got have been probably not designed for us—not by way of life-style, discretion, or emotional expertise.”
That realisation turned the spark for nido—quick for Neat Insulin Each day Organiser and a homophone for the phrase “needle”— a compact, intuitive system that helps customers safely organise and eject insulin needles.
It took her one yr and over 120 prototypes
Zoey, now 23, first obtained the thought to create nido when it was time for her to decide on a subject for her Remaining Yr Thesis in college.
I needed my final undertaking to hold actual that means, so I challenged myself by selecting the subject I discovered hardest to face.
Zoey Chan
To deliver her concept to life, Zoey acquired S$200 in funding from NUS for her thesis undertaking—although a lot of the supplies and prices have been self-funded, she shared, with out disclosing the whole quantity spent.
The complete course of, from conceptualisation to its remaining design, took a couple of yr. The primary half targeted on analysis, understanding the every day realities of individuals dwelling with Kind 1 diabetes, together with her personal. Zoey additionally carried out early consumer testing to discover which options resonated most with customers.
After that, she started experimenting with numerous prototypes, continually refining her product all the way down to the millimeter.
“It began with a container that seemed just like an AirPods case,” Zoey shared. “The design went by quite a few iterations earlier than I landed on the ultimate model of nido that exists at this time.”
All in all, she went by over 120 prototypes and refinements earlier than nido reached its present stage.
One of many greatest challenges in her journey, Zoey defined, was designing for a course of that appears totally different for everybody. “Injecting insulin could appear common, however in actuality, it’s deeply private. Some individuals are quick and discreet, others are methodical and cautious. I needed to unlearn my very own habits and cease assuming there was one ‘proper’ method to design for it.”
That meant letting go of inflexible options and embracing flexibility, even when it made the design course of extra complicated.
One other main hurdle was balancing performance with simplicity. Early prototypes had too many shifting components—they labored, however provided that you already knew tips on how to use them. “It took a number of rounds of testing and a variety of modifying to reach at one thing intuitive sufficient to be understood with out clarification.”
Designing for a situation she personally lives with additionally got here with emotional weight. “It’s onerous to remain goal when the issue is so private,” she admitted. “However involving different customers, listening to their tales, and seeing their reactions to the prototypes saved me grounded. It jogged my memory that this was not nearly me – it was about designing for a neighborhood.”
Bringing nido nearer to real-world use
The present design of nido can securely maintain as much as 4 insulin pen needles, with compartments that accommodate totally different manufacturers and sizes. It encompasses a tapered slot that lets customers safely take away the protecting needle cap with out dropping the needle or pricking their fingers, in addition to a bit for used components and different waste to be discarded.
nido at the moment holds a provisional patent and stays within the growth stage. Zoey shared that she has been in talks with potential companions, making ready to share nido by new channels and planning to recruit extra customers to information its subsequent part of refinement.
For now, Zoey has gathered suggestions, largely by casual chats and follow-ups with individuals she has met throughout her thesis, in addition to those that have reached out to her about her undertaking.
“The diabetes neighborhood has been unbelievable, and useful, and I’m so grateful for his or her outpour of assist. Many shared that they felt seen by the undertaking, which meant quite a bit to me as a result of it resonated past my fast circle,” she shared.
Zoey additionally famous that a number of healthcare professionals have responded to nido positively, particularly to how the invention rethinks comfort and dignity in on a regular basis care.
For her invention, Zoey was just lately named the 2025 nationwide winner of the James Dyson Award (Singapore), receiving S$8,400 to assist nido’s growth.
The invention has additionally made it to the world shortlist of 20 pioneering improvements for the worldwide James Dyson Award, with an opportunity to turn out to be the worldwide winner and obtain S$50,700 to fund the subsequent levels of growth—the outcomes can be introduced subsequent week on Nov 5.
With the prize cash she has now, Zoey continues to be contemplating “one of the simplest ways to make use of it,” however her objective is to take a position it in areas that may assist deliver nido nearer to real-world use.
Making the journey simpler
In Singapore, more than 400,000 people at the moment dwell with diabetes, and it’s a quantity that’s anticipated to develop to about a million by 2050.
For a lot of, navigating the situation is already tough, however speaking about it may be even more durable. It’s an expertise Zoey is aware of firsthand. At first, she felt “ashamed and didn’t know tips on how to clarify” what she was going by to household and pals.
Over time, she’s discovered to increase herself grace. “Essentially the most difficult half was being light with myself, to be taught that getting this situation was not anyone’s fault and that it was not as a result of I ‘ate one too many sweets’,” she mentioned.
“There are over 40 elements that have an effect on one’s blood glucose ranges, from stress to even atmospheric stress. Some days, even once I do every thing the identical, my readings aren’t, and it’s onerous to not really feel like I’ve failed that day.”
She admits she’s nonetheless studying to handle life with Kind 1 diabetes, and nonetheless discovering new challenges day by day.
However by nido, Zoey hopes to make the journey just a little simpler for others like her.
It might be a small invention, nevertheless it responds to a really actual and human frustration. Even when it quietly improves the expertise for only a few individuals, that’s the type of affect I wish to maintain designing for.
Zoey Chan
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Featured Picture Credit score: Dyson
