The NHS needed to tackle a critical challenge: the test results experience was disjointed, difficult to understand, and failed to meet the needs of diverse patient groups. With increasing pressure on services and patient autonomy becoming more important, clarity, accessibility, and trust in digital communications were essential.
Legacy interfaces lacked user-centric design
Test result language was clinical and confusing
Poor mobile responsiveness and inconsistent UX across services
Vulnerable users (e.g. elderly, neurodiverse, non-native speakers) struggled to interpret results without support
Information hierarchy did not prioritise urgency or next steps
Limited accessibility compliance and no inclusive design strategy in place
I led the end-to-end UX process, applying a human-centered design framework grounded in accessibility, health tech standards, and behavioural psychology.
Key activities:
Discovery & Research
Stakeholder interviews with NHS clinicians and patient liaison teams
Competitive benchmarking across digital health services (e.g. Babylon, MyChart)
Conducted accessibility audit (WCAG 2.1) and usability heuristics review
Ran surveys and user interviews with a diverse group of patients
Synthesis & Strategy
Defined personas including digitally excluded users
Mapped user journeys highlighting pain points in result comprehension and emotional response
Created a prioritised problem statement focused on health literacy and accessibility
Design & Iteration
Low to high fidelity wireframes using Figma
Co-design workshops with clinicians and patients to validate early concepts
Developed accessible UI components, including plain language test result cards, colour-coded urgency indicators, and expandable explanations
Prototyped mobile-first designs and conducted usability testing
Collaboration & Delivery
Worked cross-functionally with developers, clinical content leads, and accessibility consultants
Handed off annotated designs and led design QA during dev sprint reviews
The redesigned experience significantly improved user comprehension, satisfaction, and accessibility compliance.
Key outcomes:
78% of users found results “easy to understand” (vs. 35% baseline)
Reduced helpdesk calls related to test result confusion by 42%
Achieved AA-level accessibility compliance with screen reader and contrast testing
Mobile engagement increased by 28%
Recognized internally as a pilot for future NHS digital services
This work laid the foundation for a broader transformation of the NHS’s patient-facing communications.
Next steps include:
Scaling the design system across other result types (e.g. imaging, referrals)
Integrating AI-generated explanations for test results, tailored to patient literacy levels
Introducing visual summaries and graphs for long-term condition tracking
Piloting multilingual result delivery for non-English-speaking users
This project exemplifies the power of inclusive, patient-first design in high-impact environments like healthcare. By focusing on empathy, clarity, and accessibility, we created a test results experience that empowers patients, reduces service strain, and sets a new standard for digital health UX.
