Product design for health startups + scale-ups
You've built it. People just don't engage.
I help teams build digital health products that patients and clinicians use, not avoid. Engagement follows.
With 10 years of experience, I've worked with these brands
Typical problems I solve
Patients leave during registration. Legal, clinical and engineering disagree on why. The fix never lands.
Users register but don't engage. Activation numbers stay the same no matter what you try.
Clinicians and staff avoid the product. It's built for them but they won't touch it. No one knows why.
Where I've solved them
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5.3% more sign-upsView case study →
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10% → 0.3% lab reject rateView case study →
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30% more clinical uptakeCase study coming soon
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His blend of technical skill, principled user-centred thinking, and experience make him a valuable addition to the team.
Tom Byers, Genomics -
His deep understanding of UX best practices was integral to designing successful products.
Giles Currington, Candide -
I relied on his calm, focused and methodical approach to unlocking the problem we needed to solve.
Catharine Webber, Candide
How I work
Understand context
In the first week I review your product, existing research, and any safety or compliance documentation. Where significant unknowns sit, I run research with users through your network or mine.
Define the problem
I write up the problem with success metrics and solution hypotheses for us to agree on. Risks and constraints get logged at this stage, not after design has started.
Generate solutions
I draft user-centered ideas together with your team before ranking them by vote. With engineers and any clinical, regulatory or legal stakeholders, we refine the top ones to meet viability and safety needs.
Test and learn
I define and test different prototypes with real users or proxies, structured to whatever rigour your product needs. I iterate until the data supports a build-ready design.
Launch and adjust
I give engineering build-ready specs, stay close through launch, and iterate based on live data. Every engagement ends with a short documentation handover so the patterns stick after I leave.
Why teams bring me in
Regulated-product experience. I've shipped MHRA work, fed hazards matrices, and run IEC 62366 testing. I work with clinical advisors and legal teams, not just PMs and engineers.
Outcome-led. Patient activation, clinician adoption, and other engagement metrics are my benchmark. Not screens delivered.
Low coordination overhead. I define my work and give engineering clear design specifications. You're not project-managing me.
Accessible by default. Your products likely reach people under stress or older adults. I design for that from the start, not in a last-minute audit.
Senior attention. You work with me throughout, not someone new to design who gets handed the brief.
Honest, not just agreeable. I'll tell you if I see issues with a brief, the timeline is too ambitious, or the design isn't addressing the right problem.
Choose how we work together
Embedded product design
I help identify, design and ship solutions alongside your team. I'm in your Slack, your meetings and your design reviews. Engagements tend to run 2-6 months based on scope.
Best for a meaningful, defined plan that needs senior attention through the work.
From £500 per day + VAT.
- End-to-end design from research to launch
- From 2 days per week based on engagement
- From 1 day a week onsite in UK
Flow UX audit
A focused external view of one user flow whether live, in build or design-only. I review your materials, identify what's stopping engagement, and give you a written report with fixes.
Best for a fast, expert view on a specific underperforming flow that you're concerned about. For example an onboarding flow.
£2500 + VAT. Delivered via email in 5 working days.
- Report with annotated screenshots and found issues
- 3-5 prioritised fix recommendations
- 45-minute video call to walk through findings
- Fixes found or money back
FAQs
Are we too early for this?
If you've built something and users are struggling, you're not too early. UX fixes compound at every stage.
Do you work on medical devices?
Yes. I work with client regulatory teams on medical devices, running rigorous formative and summative testing.
Do you work solo or in a team?
Both. As part of the embedded product design service, I work inside your team. As for the flow UX audit service, I work solo. Either way, you'll know what I'm doing and why.
Can you work with our existing designers?
Yes, I can work with and even mentor your existing designers. I enjoy sharing knowledge and learning from others.
How quickly can you start?
Usually within a week. We pick a start date, I guarantee weekly availability. Sometimes I can jump in sooner if there's an urgent need.
Do you work on fractional or full-time basis?
Engagements start at a minimum of 2 days per week, with a typical commitment of 8-12 weeks. If you need more intensity during a specific phase, there may be flexibility for more days.
Where are you based and can you work in our UK office?
I'm based in Bristol. I can travel to your Bristol, Bath, Cardiff, Birmingham, Oxford, Reading or London office for 1 day a week. Additional on-site days if needed are available at day rate plus travel costs.
Do you also work on wellness products?
Yes, I work on all products and services created by digital health startups and scale-ups, including wellness products.
Can we cancel an engagement?
Yes, to cancel during the minimum 8-12 week term requires a 4 week notice period or payment in lieu. Where notice would run beyond the minimum term, the notice period is reduced to align with the end of the minimum term, unless we agree to extend.
How do you use AI?
I use AI tools to accelerate research and test ideas, but I don't let them replace the work that needs human judgement. You get design that's faster where speed helps and slower where care matters.
What tools do you use?
I use whatever your team uses. This is usually some mix of Figma, Miro, messenger tools, video tools like Loom, Claude, Loveable and more.
Do you do your own user research and usability testing, or would we need a user researcher?
Yes, I conduct full research and usability testing with participants. I can even recruit participants for you if needed, though the cost of this is not included in my service. If you have an existing user researcher, I would be more than happy work with them directly.
Get the engagement you need.
