Designing for Better Healthcare

This past spring, I had my tonsils removed after struggling with strep throat for over a decade. I went through countless urgent care visits, antibiotics, and recurring infections. What I didn’t realize was that repeated antibiotic use was causing my body to develop resistance, leading to more serious health problems—including a dangerous kidney infection and severe seasonal allergies.

My experience revealed a larger issue: the healthcare system’s fragmented data sharing and the tendency to overprescribe antibiotics. Doctors often lack access to complete patient histories and face pressure from patients and time constraints, leading to unnecessary prescriptions. This contributes to a global crisis where antibiotic resistance causes hundreds of thousands of deaths every year.

This inspired my design proposal: an app that empowers patients to manage their medical records and access AI-powered insights about their health before visiting doctors. Such a tool could help patients understand their conditions better, reduce unnecessary prescriptions, and give doctors more time to focus on complex cases. By prioritizing accessible, user-friendly design, the app would support people of all tech backgrounds and encourage holistic, preventative care.

Starting with research—surveying both patients and doctors—I aim to uncover pain points in the current pharmaceutical system and build solutions that make healthcare more efficient and patient-centered.

My personal journey showed me how design can tackle real-world problems by empowering users and improving systems. I’m excited to bring this mindset into my UX work, creating tools that make a real difference in people’s lives.