Helping Patients Understand and Act on Complex Microbiome Test Results
My Role: Product Designer & Team Lead
Client: Salient Bio Labs
Timeline: Jul 2025 – Sept 2025 (5-week lean sprint)
Tools: Figma Design, Figma Make, Claude AI, Miro, Midjourney AI, Usability Testing, Competitive Analysis
Team: 6 UI Designers and UX Researchers
Stakeholders: Salient Bio Co-Founder, Project Manager, Scientific Lead for Salient Labs Research and Development, Software Engineering Lead For Bioinformatics
20%
Projected uplift in repeat test orders, driven by the redesigned Patient Action Plan with next-step guidance in the dashboard.
15%
Projected uplift in user retention
95.7%
Ease-of-use scoring (SEQ)
84%
Self-reported clarity of health data
The Evolution of the Salient Bio Results System Before Redesign
The Challenge
Salient Bio, a UK-based biotechnology company, delivered at-home microbiome test results via dense, static PDF reports.
This format overwhelmed patients, leading to low comprehension and, critically, no clear next steps.
My project was to transform this clinical document into an intuitive, interactive digital dashboard to support patient action and enable the company's strategic digital-first product vision.
Translating Complex Reports to Improve Patient Experiences
My Usability Evaluation of the Current PDF Reports
I conducted a structured usability review of the existing PDF report experience. This evaluation identified key friction points affecting patients.
My patient usability evaluation of original PDF microbiome report
My Role
I served as the UX Design & Research Lead, for the 5-week lean sprint, covering strategy, competitive analysis, design, and usability validation.
Goals
Improved patient comprehension and confidence, validated at 84% clarity and 95.7% ease-of-use (SEQ) in usability testing
Strengthened practitioner trust by preserving scientific rigor within a patient-first, layered information structure
Supported projected ~15–20% growth in repeat test orders and ~10–15% improvement in user retention by embedding an always-visible Action Plan
Enabled digital-first scalability through modular, reusable dashboard components
The Team
6 Designers and Researchers
Our Stakeholders
Leadership
Co-Founder and Project Manager
Clinical Team
Scientific Lead for Salient Labs Research and Development (R&D)
Product and Engineering
Software Engineering Lead For Bioinformatics
Early Research
I analysed 20+ health dashboards, identifying a gap between overly simple and overly clinical experiences, and developed a persona to ground design in users’ need for clear, actionable insights.
I then validated whether patients could understand results, assess risks, and identify next steps.
Competitor Analysis of Current Patient Report Experiences
Methodology
5-Week Lean UX Sprint
I led a lean UX sprint, prioritising mid-fidelity prototyping in Figma.
This was followed by moderated usability testing with 5 target users, measuring task success, System Usability Evaluation (SEQ), and qualitative feedback across result interpretation and next-step discovery.
Core Hypothesis
A layered information hierarchy to reduce cognitive load and improve patient comprehension.
User Persona
A Persona Who Illustrates Our User's Pain Points and Needs
We created a user persona- 'Amanda', to deepen my understanding of the target demographic. This was synthesised from patient and stakeholder interviews, and analysis of the existing PDF report.
Key Pain Points
Lack of Actionable Guidance
No prioristised follow-up or clearly outlined call to action meant all individual test results felt equally urgent, which concerns Amanda.
Information Overload
A long, technical medical report without clear information hierarchy means she often feels overwhelmed. It's challenging to interpret her test results without clinical knowledge.
User Needs
Quickly understand what her results mean
Clear prioritisation of what matters most to their health
Guidance on what action to take next and why
Stakeholder Needs
Defined Product Requirements for Our Client's Strategic Goals
-
Increase engagement with results to drive retention
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Translate complex microbiome data into a scalable digital product
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Maintain clinical accuracy and compliance while improving usability
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Enable a digital-first experience aligned with long-term growth
User Flow Mapping
I mapped the patient journey from results to action, identifying what to show upfront, what to reveal progressively, and where to anchor the Action Plan.
Information Architecture
To address cognitive overload, I established the strategy: “Summary at a Glance, Depth on Demand.”
I led the definition of a three-layered Information Architecture, securing early buy-in from the Scientific Lead to ensure accuracy was preserved while improving accessibility.
This structure directly contributed to 84% clarity scores in testing.
Layer 1
High-level summary & risks
Layer 2
Interpreted results & key insights
Layer 3
Full taxonomy & clinical detail
Defining Our New Strategy For Reformatting Clinical Test Results
Visual Design
I directed the development of mid-fidelity prototypes, focusing on six key, modular features
I prioritised the Always-Visible Action Plan to provide immediate guidance and turn clinical insights into scheduled consultations, directly solving Amanda's need for actionable next steps.
All prototypes were built and iterated in Figma, enabling rapid stakeholder feedback and usability validation.
Defining Modular Components and Always-Visible Action Plan
Decision 1:
Patient Dashboard
High-Fidelity Interactive Dashboard
The dashboard immediately greets the user with the Summary at a Glance; the top layer of our IA. This visual summary replaces overwhelming data with an immediate, clear status indicator.
Decision 2:
Anchor Action Plan for persistent guidance
Why
In the PDF format, critical recommendations were buried, leading to patient ambiguity and a "where do I start?" friction point after closing the document.
What changed
Extracted the "Recommendations" section from the static report and transformed it into the persistent right-rail "Action Plan" module that stays anchored as the user navigates.
Result
Eliminated the need for memory recall. Patients now have a constant, actionable North Star, reducing the anxiety of navigating complex medical dat
Before: Legacy PDF
After: Optimised Dashboard
Decision 3:
Health Insights
This module visualises key health insights through linear charts, in which complex scientific links (like potential inflammation markers) are simplified into a clear priority list.
This design ensures that scientific rigor is maintained, but information density is controlled until the patient chooses to expand.
Decision 4: Microbiome Run-Down
The interactive Microbiome Breakdown allows users to compare their specific bacteria levels against a healthy reference group.
The interaction proves that clarity and high density data can coexist.
Before: Legacy PDF
After: Optimised Dashboard
Validation
I executed usability testing with 5 users, which validated our task success (84%) but revealed key friction points.
I iterated on the design to address low discoverability of the Action Plan and improve the visual clarity of score ranges.
Moderated User Research
Test Metrics Results
84% task success across result interpretation and next-step discovery
95.7% ease-of-use (SEQ)
84% clarity score
~15–20% projected increase in repeat test orders
~10–15% projected increase in user retention
Business Impact (Projected)
By anchoring a task-prioritised Action Plan and introducing layered, user-centered information architecture, the dashboard was designed to support repeat test ordering and long-term engagement.
Based on usability performance and industry benchmarks, the design is projected to support ~15–20% growth in repeat test orders and ~10–15% improvement in user retention, enabling Salient Bio to scale within a predictable, digital-first product ecosystem.
