The Perfect Use Case

John Scalo
02 December 2013

As we talk to people about our new venture, they are, of course, curious about what it is we’re actually making. When I explain it (and admittedly I’m not the best pitchman around), some people “get it” right off the bat. Alas, for others, my imperfect analogies of “Twitter for numbers” or “a social Wolfram Alpha” just don’t blow their hair back. For those hardened skeptics, we need…

The Perfect Use Case

Everyone has one, it’s just a matter of zooming in on their lifestyle and finding it.

My wife, Jen, was one of these skeptics. Here’s the use case that swayed her.

She’s a teacher and she once had a student with type 1 diabetes. The student’s blood glucose levels could swing unpredictably throughout the day and there was an ever-present risk of fainting, seizures, or worse. To manage the condition, Jen or another teacher needed to measure the child’s glucose levels not once or twice but 3-5 times a day. If the number was too low or too high, she would follow a protocol which typically involved administering glucose tablets, calling one of the parents, waiting for the parent to return the call, and finally verifying with the parent that no other action was needed.

Apparently dealing with phone calls while trying to guide a class of young children is a little distracting to say the least.

Fast forward to a not-too-distant (we hope!) future where our app exists. Now the same scenario might look like this:

• At the start of the school year, Jen would invite the child’s parents to track their child’s glucose levels using Numerous on their iPhones.
• Each time Jen takes a measurement, she updates the result on the class iPad or her iPhone.
• The parents can choose to get notified any time the number changes or only when it goes above or below certain thresholds.

So not only would both parents get notified immediately of any concerning glucose levels and be able to check all the test results throughout the day, Jen wouldn’t have to make and take phone calls in the middle of class time. If a parent felt that further action was needed, they can make a comment in the app and Jen would confirm, also with a comment.

Fast forward a little more, and the testing device itself ties into our API, updating the result without Jen having to even touch her iPhone.

So there you go. One person’s compelling use case. Have one of your own? Tell us about it in the comments or by tweeting to @NumerousApp.