Vigor Medical Systems

Vigor Medical Systems is a health-tech startup helping patients manage cardiac and pulmonary recovery remotely.

Role: UX DesignUX ResearchService Design
Tools: FigmaProtopie
Team: ProvidersPMEngineers
Timeline: Sep – Oct 2022

Overview

As Product Design Lead, I designed a pulmonary care app and enterprise tools for providers, patients, and internal operations teams. I built the company's design system from the ground up on Carbon's guidelines, halving design-to-engineering handoff time and setting an accessible baseline for every product.

84%patient retention after 3 months

40%fewer ER visits

Challenge

An older patient's clasped hands resting in their lap

Over 90% of COPD patients live more than five miles from their nearest pulmonary rehab center, making consistent treatment difficult. Despite strong initial sign-ups, 40% of patients dropped off within three months.

COPD Patients

For every health coach, they managed 40+ patients. They answered real-time texts on top of monitoring data from the patient app.

Health Coach

A clinician typing on a laptop beside a stethoscope

Research

A remote workshop board covered in sticky notes

Cross-Functional Workshops

Led cross-function workshops to identify service gaps across clinical team, health coaches, and operations.

A usability session showing the patient app beside session notes

Usability Testing

Conducted sessions with COPD patients to surface critical pain points in app experience

Problem Statement

How might we help COPD patients stay engaged in their rehab journey and maintain consistent care and relieve health coaches from being overworked?

Solutions

Designed for patientsGamifying ProgressDaily tasks, milestones, and progress rings show patients how far they've come, keeping them motivated through rehab.

Designed for patientsDesigning for AccessibilityLarger buttons, clear hierarchy, and simpler navigation make the app easy to use for older patients.

Designed for providersFrom Google Sheets to CMS PlatformOne platform replaced spreadsheets, so coaches can track patient data, log notes, and message patients in one place.

Results

84%Patient retention after 3 months

148%Average increase in daily steps

40%Reduction in emergency visits

“Doctors just don't have time to go over with every patient. But I can see that Vigor has given me the tools. That made a difference.”

“Vigor's program will encourage me to keep up with the activities I'm doing now. Also my Vigor coach is very easy to talk to on the phone.”

Reflections

Self-Agency Improves Health

Giving patients visibility and control over their own progress had a direct impact on health outcomes. Agency isn't just a design value… it's a clinical one too.

Human Connection

Some of the most meaningful improvements came from access, not features. Patients reported feeling better simply from having regular conversations with their health coach. A good reminder to design for connection, not just the interface.

Provider Care Leads to Patient Care

Designing for health coaches mattered just as much as designing for patients. When we reduced their administrative load, they had more time for actual care, and that showed up directly in patient outcomes.

About Me