Strategy and design of mobile app to encourage routine adherence in orthopedic surgeries to lower infection risks
CLIENT ZECON & KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET DURATION 13 WEEKS ROLE UX / UI DESIGNER TEAM SOLE UX / UI DESIGNER FOCUS UX / UI DESIGN, UX RESEARCH, SERVICE DESIGN
BACKGROUND
Preventing post-op infections in orthopedic surgery Orthopedic surgery is one of the most infection-sensitive procedures — and when things go wrong, the consequences are severe. Post-operative infections are both dangerous for patients and extremely costly for healthcare. Many of these infections could have been prevented with the right conditions and better routine adherence.

Medtech company Zecon collects detailed data during surgeries including routines, staff movements, and OR conditions. Together with Karolinska Institutet, they wanted to explore how understanding this data could actually change behavior and improve patient safety.
CHALLENGE
Inaccessible data that does not motivate Data collected from surgeries can help surgical teams understand how certain behaviors in the operating room correlate with infection risks and affect patient safety. However, when the meaning of the data is not clear — and when using the system feels frustrating or irrelevant for the user — staff lose motivation and stop engaging with it.

Zecon and Karolinska Institutet brought me in to explore how we could turn this valuable but complex data into meaningful, actionable feedback that would support hospital staff in their important work. My role was to research the surgical staff's behaviors and identify what data and functionalities would truly benefit and motivate them. Based on this research, my task was to design an intuitive app to help orthopedic surgical teams track their progress, understand their impact, and feel recognized when things go well — while also providing alerts when something needed special attention.
SYSTEM BEFORE
Old system - Weekly dashboard (All data shown is fictional and for demonstration purposes only)
Old system - 6 months data (All data shown is fictional and for demonstration purposes only)
PROCESS
Understanding the needs and behaviors of surgical staff To design something genuinely useful, I needed to understand the staff's routines, priorities, and pain points. As the only designer, I owned the entire UX process, from research to final prototype, while keeping close collaboration with medical staff and decision-makers.
  • Research
Interviews and shadowing with surgeons, nurses, researchers, and admins across three hospitals. I observed team meetings, workflows, and even a full cemented hip replacement surgery. I also audited Zecon's existing system to evaluate usability gaps and limitations.
  • Analysis
Personas, journey maps, and problem statements clarified the biggest gaps between data and the needs of the staff.
  • Ideation
Workshops, "How might we" questions, rapid sketching, Crazy 8s, wireframes.
  • Design & Testing
High-fidelity Figma prototype, iterated through multiple user tests with surgical staff and stakeholders.
INSIGHTS
Barriers: Why staff didn't engage with the old system
  • Data felt irrelevant
Staff struggled to find the information they cared about, and it often wasn't presented in a way that made sense to them. Some data even felt misleading in their context, which created frustration and distrust.
  • Too complicated to understand
Graphs without context or explanation left staff confused. The system demanded too much effort from users to understand graphs and numbers. It looked visually overwhelming and staff often didn't know what conclusions to draw.
  • No reason to return
With updates only shown weekly, there was little incentive to log in regularly. Navigation was unclear, the interface wasn't interactive, and staff had little motivation to return to the system frequently.
Opportunities: How to make data motivating and useful
  • Value in recognition
Hospital staff work extremely hard with little appreciation. They wanted to see proof that their effort made a difference. A system that highlights progress and provides positive feedback could drive engagement and motivation to return.
  • Patterns that show meaningful correlations
By making it easier to spot trends over time, staff could better understand the correlation between behaviors and patient safety. This transforms data from abstract numbers into clear evidence of their impact.
  • Need for clarity and flexibility
A visually clear and flexible system would allow different roles to access the data most relevant to them. If the system is designed to be easy and engaging to check daily, it could foster long-term use and building habits.
DESIGN SOLUTION
Turning complex data into clear, useful feedback Based on my research, I designed a mobile app tailored to surgical staff routines. The app visualizes complex infection data in a way that motivates, clarifies impact, and supports routine reflection. The solution balances feedback with recognition to drive engagement instead of compliance fatigue.
KEY FEATURES
A interactive dashboard
A daily summary designed to increase engagement. Staff can quickly see how their OR is performing and get recognition when routines are followed. Different roles can highlight the data most relevant to them, ensuring that surgeons, nurses, and admins all get the process they actually need.
Trends
Instead of jumping between multiple graphs, staff can now switch time periods (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly) in one place to understand progress and seasonal differences. Users can also choose which factors to display, and seeing graphs side by side makes it easier to identify patterns — for example, how increased door openings correlate with higher levels of bio particles, which in turn can raise infection risk.
Compare
Staff can compare data across different factors to spot correlation more easily. This builds a deeper understanding of performance and helps teams see where routines are working well and where improvements are needed.
Customizable views
The app adapts to different user needs. Staff can filter, and focus on the data most relevant to their role, making the experience both personal and efficient. This flexibility ensures the system stays useful and engaging day after day.
All data shown is the app is fictional and for demonstration purposes only.
MAIN CONTRIBUTIONS
Designed a mobile app in Figma based on real routines and staff feedback
  • Led the full UX process from research to prototype
  • Designed and iterated an interactive Figma prototype, tested with surgical staff
  • Created a clearer hierarchy and intuitive navigation in the system
  • Made complex data understandable and actionable for surgical teams
  • Balanced staff needs with Zecon's business goals to ensure adoption potential
  • Delivered a validated, high-fidelity prototype ready for handoff and real-world testing
IMPACT
Making hygiene data understandable — and motivating real action
  • Staff said that the app helped them understand complex infection-related data for the first time
  • Sparked reflection and constructive dialogue around routines and patient safety.
  • Used by Zecon as a sales tool to demonstrate the product's value
  • Led to an invitation from Zecon to continue working with the team after the project
  • The app is being explored for implementation at major hospitals in Sweden and internationally
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