Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
Summary
Have you thought about applying your research and design expertise to a specific vertical? Healthcare offers rich, complex challenges and thorny psychology problems, in the midst of a highly regulated industry that desperately needs design experts. Wearables, IoT, AI/ML/LLM, AR, VR, robot nurses, healthcare is anything but boring. Theresa Neil will share a birds-eye view of the healthtech, medtech, femtech ecosystem and where she sees opportunities for practitioners like us. You can start in the shallow end with health & wellness apps and eventually swim with the sharks building regulated medical devices (with lasers)!
Key Insights
-
•
Theresa Neil shifted her consultancy idea from a broad UX practice to specializing in healthcare over the past two years.
-
•
Healthcare technology is growing rapidly with a projected $1.6 trillion market value by 2033 and 20% CAGR.
-
•
Vertical specialization, even by 'faking it till you make it', is a viable strategy but Theresa preferred leveraging her existing healthcare portfolio.
-
•
Healthcare UX challenges are complex, involving multiple stakeholders like patients, providers, payers, and regulators.
-
•
The healthcare ecosystem’s complexity allows specialized UX designers to charge premium rates.
-
•
There are distinct tiers of healthcare products from unregulated wellness apps to highly regulated medical devices requiring knowledge of HIPAA and FDA compliance.
-
•
Hands-on experience with regulated healthcare software and devices is critical; bluffing expertise is easily detected and harmful.
-
•
Designers in healthcare commonly collaborate closely with clinical subject matter experts rather than needing clinical degrees themselves.
-
•
Healthcare technology includes cutting-edge fields such as AI, connected devices, VR, AR, robotics, and innovative drug delivery systems.
-
•
Starting in lower complexity healthcare domains like consumer health websites or wellness apps eases entry before moving into stringent regulated areas.
Notable Quotes
"We were doing all the things until we got the advice to specialize; that moment changed everything."
"We could become healthcare experts because we actually did have a portfolio in healthcare already."
"Experts develop insights by isolating patterns and data; as designers, we already do this daily."
"Healthcare technology is absolutely a growing market with tremendous opportunity."
"Preventative care UX challenges, like why men won’t come in, are deeply rooted and not solved by prettier buttons."
"You aren't going to understand the healthcare ecosystem right off the bat; it’s incredibly complex."
"EMRs and EHRs have terrible user experience and are ripe for design innovation, similar to FinTech years ago."
"Don’t bluff regulated healthcare UX experience; everyone will know, and it’s harmful to your team and clients."
"Designers almost always partner with clinicians who are the domain experts in healthcare projects."
"You don’t need an MD or PhD to be effective in healthcare UX; humility, curiosity, and preparation are essential."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Accessibility isn’t a checkbox you run automated tests for; you must involve people with disabilities to benchmark success."
Sam ProulxOnline Shopping: Designing an Accessible Experience
June 7, 2023
"We’ve had to retire the studio development category because it wasn’t prioritized due to project work demands."
Ignacio MartinezFair and Effective Designer Evaluation
September 25, 2024
"Pairing up as design soulmates was the first foundation that made all the difference for Signified’s design journey."
Sarah Kinkade Mariana Ortiz-ReyesDesign Management Models in the Face of Transformation
June 8, 2022
"Companies today are embracing these principles, seeing the value of user connection and self-actualization for business success."
Daniel GloydWarming the User Experience: Lessons from America's first and most radical human-centered designers
May 9, 2024
"We spend millions on content that nobody wanted and that didn’t actually help people navigate their lives."
Patrick BoehlerFishing for Real Needs: Reimagining Journalism Needs with AI
June 10, 2025
"UX research teams spend significant time manually analyzing interviews, limiting capacity to focus on higher-value tasks."
Andy Barraclough Betsy NelsonFrom Costly Complexity to Efficient Insights: Why UX Teams Are Switching To Voxpopme
September 23, 2024
"Design ethics can impact some harms of new technology but not all."
Alexandra SchmidtWhy Ethics Can't Save Tech
November 18, 2022
"Strategic friction is about where you apply friction deliberately to create insight and transformation."
Louis RosenfeldDiscussion: What Operations can teach DesignOps
November 6, 2017
"Carbon is just the starting point for what can be imagined. We're hired for our expertise to adapt, not just follow directions."
Mitchell BernsteinOrganizing Chaos: How IBM is Defining Design Systems with Sketch for an Ever-Changing AI Landscape
September 29, 2021
