Reframing My Health Record

Transforming Clinical Data into Accessible Health Information

Client: Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA)
Role: Lead Experience Designer
Award: 2023 Good Design Award

Overview

The Australian Digital Health Agency sought to improve engagement with My Health Record by launching a mobile app that made clinical health data more accessible to everyday Australians. I led the experience design effort to create a user-centred mobile experience that translated complex medical records into intuitive, plain-language health information – all within the constraints of existing APIs and infrastructure.

four hero images taken from the Apple store describing the app. The first image shows the app's home screen with the tagline: Put your health in your hands. The second image has the tagline "Access key information securely, anywhere, anytime" with a screengrab of the Medical history section. the next image shows the PIN screen with the message "Add a PIN for extra security". Finally, the last image shows the medical history screen again with the tagline: "View your medicine and prescription history".
The new app surfaces relevant health information clearly and simply for users.

The Challenge

  • Low engagement with the browser-based My Health Record due to technical language and poor usability.
  • Users couldn’t find recent health data or understand clinical terminology.
  • Development was constrained by legacy systems, existing APIs, and the need for clinical safety.
  • High stakeholder visibility with expectations from government, product, and clinical teams.

My Role

  • Defined the design strategy and led the end-to-end UX process
  • Led internal and external stakeholder workshops, including product, system architects, and executive leadership
  • Directed UI design, usability testing, and accessibility compliance
  • Coordinated across design, development, product, and accessibility vendors

Design approach

Strategic Framework

  • User Value – Prioritised plain language, findability, and timeline-based navigation
  • Business Impact – Supported digital health adoption and long-term ecosystem goals
  • Technical Feasibility – Designed within API limits, enabling scalable design for future enhancements
An information architecture diagram of the apps screens. The text details are not able to be read in the diagram. Some screens are in different colour reflecting primary screens, dynamic screens, future screens.
The information architecture included future-focussed sections

UX Research and testing

  • Ran card-sorting and IA workshops with practitioners and consumers.
  • Usability tests validated and guided all design decisions from early wireframes to beta builds.
  • Partnered with accessibility experts and conducted inclusive testing across demographics.
A dramatisation of a testing session with a fake participant, created to reserve privacy of real participants. At left is the facilitator wearing a mask during COVID-19, as is the test participant, both in comfortable chairs. Between them and in the back of the room is a very large Microsoft Surface 50 inch monitor. On the monitor, is a copy of the phone, shared by a tele-conference session. several session participants are shown on the screen as well.
Testing the app prototype in the ADHA Experience Centre test lab during covid to preserve social distancing – sharing the app onto an MS Surface display for deeper discussions safely

Key design solutions

  • Chronological health record timeline for easier data comprehension
  • Plain-language taxonomy that improved understanding of navigation and terminology by 65%
  • Category-based dashboard prioritising recent tests and medications, grouped how consumers wanted to see it
  • “Show me” navigation to support users unfamiliar with medical terms
  • Smoother navigation between individual people’s records, eg: allowing parents to traverse through child records easier

Delivery and outcomes

Delivery

  • Released a working beta with real data integration
  • regular usability testing through the development, as more sections were completed
  • Developed detailed test plans, coordinated feature release and refinement
  • Conducted post-launch workshops to prioritise a raft of next-phase features
  • Detailed screen designs available for review on request
A user flow demonstrating the timeline section.At left is a design with a box for each type of record in the app. beside it are text descriptions of tyhe characteristics of each of the types of record the items represent. Also in thew diagram are full screen modals of some of the records the boxes will surface.
Early concept designs were created to test visual and cognitive hierarchy, accessibility and to communicate structure for development,

Impact

  • 150,000+ registered users within the first year – without marketing nor promotion
  • App contributed to elevated practitioner data contributions via user feedback
  • Influenced the creation of a usability lab now adopted by other health products
  • Recognised with a 2023 Good Design Award
  • Leveraged new legislation to increase type and scope of records being aded to My Health Record

Challenges overcome

  • Technical constraints: Delivered elegant UX within tight API and feature limitations
  • Delayed timelines: Navigated a 4-month hold on public release without losing momentum
  • High complexity: Balanced needs across clinical safety, citizen accessibility, and agency expectations
  • Incomplete ecosystem: Advocated for app release coordination with broader campaigns to improve practitioner data uploads

Reflection

This project exemplified how strong design leadership, user advocacy, and strategic collaboration can deliver meaningful impact – even under technical and political constraints. It was a powerful example of how human-centred design can unlock engagement and trust from digital government services.