IMPACT
+76% Trial enrolment via pre-screening
ROLE
Product Designer
BetterConsult • 2024 — 2025
Situation
BetterConsult is a digital pre-consultation tool that collects patient-reported symptoms and medical history before appointments, generating structured notes for GPs.
In 2023, we partnered with The George Institute (TGI) — a globally recognised medical research organisation — to support a national clinical trial aimed at improving the diagnosis and management of chronic breathlessness (dyspnea) in Australian primary care.
Chronic dyspnea is one of the most under-recognised and misdiagnosed symptoms in general practice, despite often indicating serious conditions like COPD, asthma, or heart failure.
The goal was to build a two-part experience:
A patient-facing pre-screening questionnaire to collect structured, clinically validated data
A Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) to help GPs translate patient responses into timely, evidence-based diagnostic action
Complication
This wasn’t a typical product release. Designing for a live clinical trial introduced complex limitations and stakeholder dynamics:
The questionnaire incorporated validated tools (Dyspnea-12, mMRC) used in longitudinal studies. These couldn’t be modified freely.
We had to convert paper-based assessments into mobile-friendly, accessible interfaces for an older patient population.
The CDSS needed to present dense algorithmic logic, probability scores, and test recommendations in a layout GPs could use within minutes.
Ethical requirements around consent and clinical accuracy meant every interaction required careful validation.
It was our first collaboration with a research institute, demanding a new level of documentation rigour and cross-disciplinary alignment.
This project wasn’t just about building a usable product — it was about designing within the boundaries of academic research, clinical risk, and patient safety.
Question
How might we create a seamless pre-screening and decision support experience that fits GP workflows, upholds clinical research standards, and helps identify chronic breathlessness earlier?
Answer
I co-led the design of both the pre-screening questionnaire and the CDSS interface, working closely with our PM, engineers, clinical advisors, and TGI’s research team. The process was structured around iterative design–test–refine cycles, with checkpoints for clinical compliance, usability, and clarity.
Answer
Cycle 1 — Translating Clinical Tools into Digital Formats
We began by converting the Dyspnea-12 and mMRC tools into device-friendly questionnaires while preserving clinical validity.
I collaborated with clinicians to map clear, logic-driven flows for two scenarios:
Patients presenting with breathlessness
Patients visiting for unrelated reasons but qualifying for incidental screening
📌 Outcome:
Initial prototypes ready for testing, ensuring data capture aligned with clinical trial protocols.
Answer
Cycle 2 — Usability Testing with Elderly Patients
We conducted remote tests with five participants (aged 60–70) to assess clarity, flow, and consent comprehension.
📌 Insights:
The questionnaire felt lengthy; some questions seemed repetitive.
Consecutive consent screens caused confusion.
Digitised scales (VAS, D-12) felt overwhelming.
📌 Improvements:
Consolidated consent steps.
Removed non-critical questions to reduce fatigue.
Simplified response formats for efficiency.
Answer
Cycle 3 — Designing the CDSS Interface with High-Level Concepts
TGI provided a high-level CDSS concept, which I translated into tangible prototypes using our design system, focusing on enabling fast, informed clinical decisions without overwhelming GPs.
📌 Initial challenges:
Ambiguous hierarchy in displaying diagnostic recommendations.
Over-reliance on numerical probabilities without context.
Key actions were hard to locate.
📌 Improvements:
Reorganised content flow and prioritisation.
Introduced clear visual tiers for recommendations.
Removed redundant patient info for streamlined scanning.
Answer
Cycle 4 — GP Testing and Iteration
We ran moderated usability sessions with five GPs to evaluate the CDSS.
📌 Key findings:
4/5 GPs missed the “Save Diagnoses” step due to poor placement.
5/5 found repetitive question formats tedious.
Tiered tests were misinterpreted as mandatory.
📌 Final adjustments:
Moved “Save Diagnoses” to a prominent, top position with clearer guidance.
Switched binary buttons to checkboxes for ease of use.
Renamed test categories to “Most Recommended” and “Second Line”.
Applied a colourblind-safe palette to improve graph accessibility.
Answer
Final design
Patient Pre-screening Questionnaire Demo
Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) Final Design
CDSS Demo
Outcome
The project officially launched in April 2025 and is now live in pilot clinics.
✅ 76% patient enrolment into the clinical trial via the pre-screening tool demonstrates strong engagement and conversion — especially for a non-incentivised, pre-consultation task.
📊 We’re now tracking:
CDSS open rates and diagnostic decisions
GP-reported ease of use and integration into consults
Drop-off rates across mobile patient flows
While final trial outcomes will take time, early results signal that well-designed digital tools can accelerate patient identification for complex conditions like dyspnea — without adding cognitive burden for clinicians.
Reflection
This project stretched my design practice in three lasting ways:
Designing within fixed clinical boundaries
Many of the tools couldn’t be rewritten or reordered. Instead, I had to design around constraints by focusing on flow, framing, and comprehension.Bridging research and everyday care
I learned to balance academic needs (validated tools, protocol adherence) with product realities (mobile usability, clinician time pressure). This required deep collaboration with researchers and product stakeholders to ensure alignment at every layer.Supporting long-term product positioning
With enrolment rates exceeding expectations, BREATHE helped validate BetterConsult’s potential not just as a pre-consultation tool, but as a scalable infrastructure for clinical research in primary care. It opened the door for future partnerships where design, data, and real-world workflows intersect.