Interview with Creator of Free Diabetes App Diaguard
German software developer Philipp Fahlteich was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 13.
Drawing from personal experience, education and work experience, Philipp has created a smartphone application for people with diabetes:
My goal was to create an app that helps me and other people who are annoyed by the physical diary, which needs extra space in your pocket and is, in my opinion, an antiquated method to store your measurements.
We had the opportunity to ask Philipp a few questions about the app and what the response from users has been like so far.
What does Diaguard currently offer to its users?
Diaguard is a companion for people with diabetes that replaces the handwritten diary and takes care of medical data like blood sugar, insulin boli, carbohydrates or HbA1c. A day-by-day visualization with charts helps to analyze trends and can be shared via the PDF export. A bolus calculator and backup functionality are also included.
The app is highly adjustable and has a simple, modern design in order to be user-friendly regardless of age or therapy.
How much does the app cost?
The app is completely free and without ads.
Is the app available for both Android and iOS devices? If not, will it eventually be available for both?
Currently the app is only available on the Google Play Store / Android. A version for iOS is in development, but I cannot say when it will be published to the App Store due to my limitations as an independent developer.
What has the feedback been like so far?
The feedback for the Android version has been good so far:
- "Wunderbar Sehr übersichtlich, hab mich sofort zurecht gefunden. Top-App, kostenlos und ohne nervige Werbung, echt super." (Wonderful. Well-arranged, I could get along immediately. Top app, for free and without annoying advertisement, really great.)
- "Auf so eine app hab ich gewartet :) Perfekt, sehr hilfreich!" (I have been waiting for an app like this :) Perfect, very helpful!)
- "Hilfreich! Sehr übersichtlich und erleichtert einem die 'Arbeit'. Top!" (Helpful! Well-arranged and makes the "work" easier. Top!)
Which features are you planning to add to the app in the future?
I am planning to add more features like analytics, custom profiles for the different diabetes types or an ingredient database to calculate carbohydrates for every meal.
Actually I am working right now on an update that improves both the user interface and the compatibility (support for older Android versions and tablets) and simplifies meal storage with smart suggestions based on past entries.
Click here to download Diaguard from the Google Play Store.
Philipp Fahlteich was born in northern Germany on the island of Ruegen in 1989 and went to Munich with his parents two years later. He studied informatics in Rosenheim and received his Bachelor's degree in March. He is currently enrolled in a Master's program while working for a business-intelligence software company. In 2012, he started working as a software developer for Windows and is now a member of the mobile/iOS team.