Medical Device UX Services
HOW WE BUILD THE BRIDGE!
Consider Areteworks the bridge between clinicians and the medical devices and applications they use. Our design direction doesn’t rely on qualitative observations alone. We combine what clinicians say and do with quantitative research data to identify patterns, support design decisions, and uncover the behaviors that shape real clinical use. We translate those findings into clinical workflows, task flows, features, and interactions that feel intuitive to end users. This combination also provides additional evidence to support Human Factors documentation and FDA submissions. The result is a product experience grounded in real clinical behavior and measurable evidence, not assumptions.
Clinical Workflow Analysis
Most UX firms can run research. Fewer can read what clinicians don’t say. Through observation, interviews, and clinical workflow analysis, we look beyond what clinicians say to what they actually do—uncovering the workarounds, interruptions, decisions, and unspoken behaviors that shape real clinical use. We translate those findings into intuitive clinical workflows, task flows, and features grounded in real behavior, then carry that work through usability testing and FDA submission. We’ve been doing this for decades across cardiac monitoring, contrast injection, perfusion, point-of-care diagnostics, and more. Learn more about our approach to empathy mapping.
ANXIETY Maps
Our Anxiety Journey Maps go deeper than clinical task flows. We map where clinicians, technicians, and lab scientists hesitate, improvise, reach for workarounds, or lose confidence—especially during high-stakes moments. And we look beyond their interaction with the device itself to the broader workflows, handoffs, information, and supporting tasks that can make their work easier or more difficult. These anxiety points often reveal usability risks and opportunities that interviews alone can miss.
By combining what users say with what we observe them actually doing, we identify where uncertainty begins, where trust in the system breaks down, and why. We translate those findings into clearer workflows, better decision support, and more intuitive interactions that reduce uncertainty and help users feel confident when it matters most
Healthcare UX Design
Most healthcare UX firms have little exposure to surgical rooms, hospital wards, or lab facilities. They design in isolation. We don't. With decades of firsthand experience inside these environments, our contextual research is faster, sharper, and significantly more cost-efficient than starting from a blank slate.
We design for the conditions where work actually happens. Clinicians wearing gloves. Technicians juggling devices. Patients who are scared. Alarms going off. Interruptions every few minutes. Our designs resolve the anxiety points, drawing on decades of firsthand experience and nuggets we identified in research.
Prototyping & Development
Static screens get debated. Working prototypes provide a sense of reality. They let real clinicians test the workflow in usability sessions, surfacing use errors before development locks them in. They let senior management feel the product, not just hear about it, which changes how they commit to it. And they settle the arguments that wireframes start.
Our prototyping work is built primarily in Figma and Figma Make, with extensive experience across Adobe XD and InVision when projects require those formats.
Formative Usability Assessment
Most formative testing is iterative design feedback. Ours is built backward from Summative. We design sessions around the critical tasks FDA will validate, apply HFE-grade severity assessment to findings, and map results to use-related risk analysis. That means fewer surprises later, faster Summative pass, and design decisions your engineering team can actually act on. We run sessions in-person or remotely depending on what each project needs.
Summative FDA Testing
Summative validation is the final test before FDA submission. We can coordinate with third party certified Human Factors specialists (to be non biased) or we can conduct the summative testing with our Human Factors Expert. No matter what you decide we will always stay involved in protocol design and findings analysis. That gives you senior design judgment through the most critical phase of the program, without bringing in a separate firm at the last minute. The work continues right up to submission.
Our Process
The word "process" sounds rigid and cumbersome. We don't just run a process. We tell stories. Stories about how clinicians actually work, what makes them anxious, where they reach for shortcuts, what they need to trust before they commit to a workflow. These stories become anxiety maps, working prototypes, and design decisions your team can actually defend in front of FDA. The work is rigorous. It's also engaging. Senior leaders, clinicians, and engineering teams stay in the room because they're inside the story, not reviewing slides.
Healthcare Work
COBE CARDIOVASCULAR
Cardiopulmonary bypass system that takes over the function of the heart and lungs during open-heart surgery — operated by perfusionists managing the patient’s circulation, oxygenation, and temperature throughout the procedure. Drawing on decades of medical device experience, Areteworks led the UX across the perfusion control system, translating the perfusionist’s workflow into a workstation that supports sustained attention across hours-long, life-critical procedures. In clinical use in cardiac centers internationally.
Testimonial
Areteworks understood what a perfusionist actually does. The console gave us situational awareness across every pump and parameter without making us hunt for what mattered. We could focus on the patient, not on operating the machine.”
— COBE Cardiovascular
Spinal Cord Stimulation | ExaStim
How Areteworks designed ExaStim, ANEUVO’s FDA cleared spinal cord stimulation system, for clinicians in clinics and patients at home. Formative usability, use error reduction, motor recovery.
“Areteworks took ExaStim from concept to FDA clearance with a workflow that worked for both our clinical team and our patients. They thought about safety, usability, and regulatory rigor from day one.”
— ANEUVO
Cardiac Ablation UX
Surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation during open-heart surgery — used by cardiac surgeons, perfusionists, and operating room nurses in coordinated high-stakes procedures. Drawing on decades of medical device experience, Areteworks led the UX across the console, surgical workflow, and hardware-software integration, translating multi-user clinical needs into one coherent procedure. FDA cleared and CE Marked for surgical ablation of cardiac tissue.
Testimonial
“Areteworks understood the cardiac surgical environment from day one. The workflow translated cleanly across the surgeon, perfusionist, and circulating nurse roles, and the console clearly communicated progress without distracting from the procedure.” -Epicor Medical
Digital Orthodontist
Ormco’s 3D treatment planning system for custom brackets, wires, and aligners — used by orthodontists and their staff across high-volume practices. Drawing on decades of medical device experience, Areteworks ran ethnographic research in orthodontic practices, translating how doctors and staff actually move through a treatment day into a unified dashboard. FDA-cleared and used in over 100,000 cases worldwide. 50% increase in treatment planning speed, 40% increase in accuracy.
“Areteworks delivered a more intuitive orthodontic platform by deeply understanding how clinicians manage patient care. Their design improved treatment planning speed by 50% and increased accuracy by 40%. Through in-depth field research, they brought clarity to complex workflows. Their thoughtful, detail-driven UX approach made a real impact on clinical efficiency and user confidence.”
HemoSphere Advanced Monitoring
In the cardiac ICU, clinicians read hemodynamic data on patients whose status can change in seconds. Drawing on decades of medical device experience, Areteworks translated clinician input into the visual hierarchy, data visualization, and alarm logic clinicians rely on under pressure — designing the interface for Edwards’ HemoSphere monitoring platform.
“Areteworks grasped our complex ICU workflows quickly and delivered an interface that enhanced data visibility without compromising usability. An outstanding design partner.”
– Edwards Lifesciences
Arterion® Contrast Injection System
In cath labs and interventional radiology, clinicians need to program and monitor contrast injections while staying focused on the patient and procedure. Drawing on medical device experience and clinical workflow research, Areteworks designed the touchscreen interface for Medrad’s Arterion system to make injection phases, timing, and settings easier to follow.
“Areteworks deeply understood our clinical goals and delivered a design that exceeded expectations. Their work brought the Arterion to life with an interface radiologists trust.”
— Director, Product Development, Medrad Radiology