Redesigning a Rehabilitation Experience for Spinal Cord Injury Recovery
April 2025 - Present
Introduction
ONWARD Medical develops neurostimulation technologies for spinal cord injury recovery. I joined as the first UX designer focusing on improving user experience and accessibility of Android-based wearable and tablet interfaces (ARC IM) used by both patients and physical therapists.
Disclaimer:
Due to NDA, only general design information is shared. Specific UX/UI details, design examples, usability test findings and results are omitted.
About ARC IM
ARC-IM is ONWARD Medical’s implantable system designed to improve movement and function in people with spinal cord injury. It delivers targeted electrical stimulation to the spinal cord, supporting rehabilitation and mobility recovery.
The system includes wearable and tablet-based interfaces used by both patients and clinicians during therapy.
The Challenge
Redesigning an existing Android app ecosystem for spinal cord injury recovery — used daily by patients with limited mobility and therapists who guide their rehabilitation journey.
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The previous system had:
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Inconsistent UI and interaction patterns
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No design system across products
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Poor accessibility for users with dexterity issues
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UX improvements found in formative usability studies while testing legacy product
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Role
Senior UX Designer
Team
Tech Lead, Product Manager, Engineers (Agile team), Human Factors Specialist
Tools used
Figma / FigJam, Adobe Suite, Maze
My Approach
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Applied Material 3 across Android tablet and smartwatch for consistent, accessible UI
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Simplified interactions for users with limited mobility (large targets, linear flows, no gestures)
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Built a cross-platform design system in Figma with WCAG 3 compliance
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Led co-creation workshops with product, tech, and human factors teams to align on user needs
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Conducted moderated usability testing with patients and clinicians, prepared Figma prototypes for testing
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Iterated designs based on feedback from formative studies
