UI / UX Design
Torus Biomedical Solutions
Research & Discovery
I started by observing the surgical team during a femur trauma procedure to understand the existing C-arm workflow. The key insight: surgeons were taking multiple test shots to find the right angle, each one adding radiation exposure. I mapped the current flow — position, shoot, check, adjust, repeat — and identified the positioning guide as the highest-impact intervention point. This reference image informed the layout of the comparison interface.
Information Architecture & Workflow
The surgical workflow needed to be linear and unambiguous. I structured the ConfirMap process into five clear steps — Setup, Contra.Side, Op. Side, Review, Report — with a visible progress bar so the surgeon always knows where they are. The setup screen was designed to surface only what matters: three hardware checks that gate the workflow. I chose to hide the dozens of other diagnostics the hardware team could surface because more information would only slow the surgeon down.
Interaction Design — Real-Time Feedback
The core interaction is the real-time alignment feedback. I designed the rotation and tilt indicators to transition from red → yellow → green as the C-arm approaches the target angle, giving the surgeon a clear stopping signal instead of a vague 'get it straight.' I prototyped these micro-interactions in Figma with animated state changes and validated the responsiveness against actual C-arm sensor data to make sure the visual feedback matched real-world behavior.
Prototyping & Iteration
I built interactive prototypes in Figma for each workflow step and ran feedback rounds with the clinical team. The review screen went through three iterations — the first version only showed one X-ray view at a time, but surgeons needed to compare all four angles (proximal/distal, AP/oblique) simultaneously. I revised to a four-panel layout where each view could be tapped to zoom. The team validated that the landmark auto-detection plus manual correction flow matched their mental model of 'check then adjust.'
Outcomes & Takeaways
The final design delivered a complete guided C-arm workflow from setup through report. The comparison UI and real-time alignment feedback replaced trial-and-error test shots with one-shot guided capture, cutting unnecessary exposures. The correction report gave the team an auditable record of planned vs. achieved alignment within tolerance (rotation ≤3°, length ≤3cm, alignment ≤15°).
The biggest lesson: designing for split-second decisions. In a consumer app, ambiguity causes a tap error. In surgery, it causes a retake. Every label and color choice had to be readable at a glance under OR conditions. If I rebuilt it, I would dry-run the prototype with a surgeon on a phantom before development.