D-Heart redesign
overview
Goal
Redesign the Mobile App and physical device
My Role
Conducting UX research, testing and data analysis, developing the design system, high-fidelity prototype UIs and visuals.
Team
Paolo Lunardon, Simone De Marchi , Ruoling Zao , Francesco Pollaccia
Paolo Lunardon, Simone De Marchi, Ruoling Zao, Francesco Pollaccia
Timeline
4 months
The Problem
Using D-Heart as a doctor to perform electrocardiogram on patients, presents multiple frictions. Although perceived as a truly innovative device, the system lacks sufficient guidance, leading to user frustration and unreliable ECG results.
Using D-Heart as a doctor to perform electrocardiogram on patients, presents multiple frictions. The system lacks sufficient guidance, leading to user frustration and unreliable ECG results.
Our Solution
Give doctors a more guided, and reliable experience
Our redesign focuses on optimising the D-Heart experience for professional use, especially for general practitioners.
Every design decision is focused on improving usability, providing a guided, step-by-step workflow with clear feedback and instant access to essential information, ensuring doctors can quickly and confidently achieve reliable ECG results.
Our redesign focuses on optimising the D-Heart experience for professional use, especially for general practitioners.
Every design decision is focused on improving usability, providing a guided, step-by-step workflow with clear feedback and instant access to essential information, ensuring doctors can quickly and confidently achieve reliable ECG results.
↓ Dive deeper into the project 🤓 ↓
UX Research
Let's roll back — How did we analyse D-Heart's usability?
We started the redesign process with an expert evaluation of the existing product, followed by usability testing with 13 participants, including general practitioners and medical students.
The tests covered five key tasks, from onboarding to ECG recording, with a facilitator guiding participants and two note takers capturing feedback and implicit behaviours. In addition to qualitative insights, we used quantitative methods to measure the user experience.
We started the redesign process with an expert evaluation of the existing product, followed by usability testing with 13 participants, including general practitioners and medical students.
The tests covered five key tasks, from onboarding to ECG recording, with a facilitator guiding participants and two note takers capturing feedback and implicit behaviours. In addition to qualitative insights, we used quantitative methods to measure the user experience.
Expert evaluation
Cognitive walkthrough, Heuristic evaluation, Task analysis
Usability testing
13 people tested — 2 GPs, 7 Medical Students, 4 non-medical users
PREMO, SEQ, UEQ, SUS, Semi structured interview
13 people tested
PREMO, SEQ, UEQ, SUS, Semi structured interview
Key Findings
Tests highlighted user difficulties and frustration with the system, resulting in an overall low usability score (SEQ) of 4.4/7.
Problem 01.
Lack of affordances
The system present multiple unclear affordances, signifier, and labels, both in the digital app and in the device.
Problem 02.
Insufficient information
Problem 03.
Poor guidance & feedbacks
Problem 04.
Time consuming experience
Problem 01.
Lack of affordances
The system present multiple unclear affordances, signifier, and labels, both in the digital app and in the device.
Problem 02.
Insufficient information
Problem 03.
Poor guidance & feedbacks
Problem 04.
Time consuming experience
Problem 01.
Lack of affordances
The system present multiple unclear affordances, signifier, and labels, both in the digital app and in the device.
Problem 02.
Insufficient information
The app lacks sufficient information for users to easily understand how to perform ECGs with D-Heart.
Problem 03.
Poor guidance & feedbacks
The system does not guide the user through the experience compromising the reliability of the final result
Requirements
HMW help doctors, make faster, more reliable ECGs?
Friendly, informed onboarding
Guide users through all the features to ensure a smoother and more intuitive first experience with the system.
Fast, flexible flow
Minimize the time required for critical tasks and enable multiple paths and shortcuts to perform the same actions
Well-guided experience
Guide users through the flow and provide clear and intuitive feedbacks and system status to prevent errors
In-app synchronisation
Provide the ability to easily integrate D-heart with the doctors' current work system databases
Redesign Phase
Redesigning the D-Heart system from the ground up
The first step in our two-month process was to tackle the app’s confusing and disorienting information architecture. We streamlined and reorganized it to create a solid foundation.
From there, we began an iterative design journey, starting with wireframe hypotheses and progressing through mid- and high-fidelity UI prototypes.
The first step in our two-month process was to tackle the app’s confusing and disorienting information architecture. We streamlined and reorganized it to create a solid foundation.
From there, we began an iterative design journey, starting with wireframe hypotheses and progressing through mid- and high-fidelity UI prototypes.
IA testing on Optimal Workshop ↗
Card Sorting (20 users), Tree Testing (57 users)
Wireframe testing
11 expert users
Mid-fidelity testing
3 expert users, 9 medical students
Physical Prototyping
BUT we didn't just focus on the mobile app 👀
We didn't just focus on the mobile app
We also addressed key usability issues in the physical device, improving affordances and adding a new ring light for better, clearer visual interactions.
To validate our design choises we created a 3D-printed mid-fidelity prototype powered by Arduino.
Decisions
Creating a guided experience while still allowing for flexibility proved to be a significant challenge in the redesing process.
The redesign process wasn't straightforward. Some critical flows required multiple iterations and testing
Challenge 01.
Reduce setup time
The original multi-step process is now a simpler modal card. The challenge was to effectively organise all the information and selectors to ensure efficiency and avoid confusion.
Challenge 02.
Guide without overload
Challenge 03.
Streamline telecardiology
Challenge 01.
Reduce setup time
The original multi-step process is now a simpler modal card. The challenge was to effectively organise all the information and selectors to ensure efficiency and avoid confusion.
Challenge 02.
Guide without overload
Challenge 03.
Streamline telecardiology
Challenge 01.
Reduce setup time
The original multi-step process is now a simpler modal card. The challenge was to effectively organise all the information and selectors to ensure efficiency and avoid confusion.
Challenge 02.
Guide without overload
The ECG recording flow was the most complex. With electrode placement involving repeated interactions, we had to carefully organize information to avoid cognitive overload.
Design system
A new professional look
Every element of the new design system — from the typography to the components — has been carefully developed to give the app a modern, professional look and feel, in order to increase trust in the system.
Every element of the new design system — from the typography to the components — has been carefully developed to give the app a modern, professional look and feel, in order to increase trust in the system.
Final Design
The final redesign, covering both the app and the device, was developed around the four key research-driven requirements to deliver a new intuitive, guided yet flexible experience to doctors!
The final redesign, covering both the app and the device, was developed around the four key research-driven requirements.
All essential information at a glance
Requirement 01 — Friendly, informed onboarding
A new guided tour highlights each feature of the system. Key information are easily accessible on every screen for a seamless experience.
A new guided tour highlights each feature of the system. Key information are easily accessible on every screen for a seamless experience.
Quick and flexible
Requirement 02 — Fast, Flexible flow
Guided and intuitive
Requirement 03 — Well guided Experience
The LED ring on the device provides real-time feedback on the ECG recording status. Clear step-by-step instructions, a progress bar, and real-time error alerts ensure easy and reliable measurements.
The LED ring on the device provides real-time feedback on the ECG recording status. Clear step-by-step instructions, a progress bar, and real-time error alerts ensure easy and reliable measurements.
Integrated with doctors' databases
Requirement 04 — In-app synchronisation
The new syncing feature connects medical records with D-Heart in just a few clicks, eliminating the need to manually enter patient data!
The new syncing feature connects medical records with D-Heart in just a few clicks, eliminating the need to manually enter patient data!
Validation
We tested our high-fidelity prototype with 17 users, wrapping up the project with a 55% improvement in the average usability score!
Takeaways
Proper usability testing can really make the difference!
This was my first experience redesigning a real system with in-depth user testing and a solid research framework — and it was eye-opening to see the tangible impact we made on a real product in just four months!
Through this course, I learned how to truly observe, collect, and analyze user behavior, always prioritizing data and functionality in every design decision. Most importantly, I discovered my passion for redesigning systems to enhance usability and how my rational, functionality-driven mindset can truly benefits the process.
Huge thanks to my professors for their guidance, and to my amazing teammates for their collaboration!
This was my first experience redesigning a real system with in-depth user testing and a solid research framework — and it was eye-opening to see the tangible impact we made on a real product in just four months!
Through this course, I learned how to truly observe, collect, and analyze user behavior, always prioritizing data and functionality in every design decision. Most importantly, I discovered my passion for redesigning systems to enhance usability and how my rational, functionality-driven mindset can truly benefits the process.
Huge thanks to my professors for their guidance, and to my amazing teammates for their collaboration!
Next project
NetZero city learning hub
A new learning experience for the European Hub
NetZero city learning hub
A new learning experience for the European Hub
NetZero city learning hub
A new learning experience for the European Hub