NHS App — Test Results

Overview

The NHS App serves millions of patients across England, providing access to health records, appointment booking, and test results. This project focused on redesigning the test results experience—one of the most sensitive and emotionally charged features in the app. Patients receive critical health information through this interface, often at vulnerable moments.

The redesign prioritized clarity, accessibility, and emotional usability, ensuring that patients could understand their results without unnecessary anxiety or confusion.

Challenge

The existing test results experience had several critical issues:

• Unclear information hierarchy — Important results were buried in dense text
• Accessibility barriers — Poor contrast, unclear language, and navigation challenges for users with disabilities
• Emotional usability gaps — Results were presented without context or support, causing anxiety
• Service strain — Confused patients were calling NHS 111 and GP surgeries for clarification
• Inconsistent patterns — Different result types used varying layouts, creating confusion

The challenge was particularly sensitive because test results can trigger strong emotional responses. A poorly designed interface could cause unnecessary stress or lead to misinterpretation of critical health information.

Research & Discovery

I led extensive user research to understand how patients interact with their test results:

• User interviews with patients who had received various types of test results
• Usability testing with participants including those with visual impairments and cognitive differences
• Clinician workshops to understand medical context and terminology
• Accessibility audits to identify WCAG compliance gaps
• Service data analysis to understand where patients were struggling

Key insights:

• Patients wanted clear, plain-language explanations alongside medical terminology
• Visual hierarchy was crucial—patients needed to quickly identify if action was needed
• Context mattered—understanding what "normal" meant for their specific situation
• Support resources needed to be easily accessible without overwhelming the primary information

Solution

Information Architecture

Redesigned the information hierarchy to prioritize clarity:

1. Status indicator — Clear visual and text indication of result status (normal, abnormal, action needed)
2. Plain language summary — What the result means in everyday terms
3. Medical details — Full technical information available but not primary
4. Next steps — Clear guidance on what to do next, if anything
5. Support resources — Links to NHS guidance and when to seek help

Accessibility Improvements

• WCAG 2.1 AA compliance — Improved color contrast, text sizing, and focus states
• Screen reader optimization — Semantic HTML and ARIA labels for assistive technologies
• Plain language — Reduced medical jargon, added explanations
• Multiple access methods — Visual, text, and audio-friendly information presentation

Emotional Usability

• Contextual explanations — "Normal" ranges explained in relation to the patient's history
• Progressive disclosure — Detailed information available but not overwhelming
• Reassurance patterns — Clear messaging when results are within normal ranges
• Support pathways — Easy access to help without making patients feel they need it

Visual Design

• Clear typography hierarchy — Improved readability and scanning
• Consistent patterns — Unified design language across all result types
• Thoughtful use of color — Accessible color coding with text alternatives
• Responsive design — Optimized for mobile, where most patients access results

Process

Phase 1: Research & Discovery (Weeks 1-4)

• Conducted user interviews and accessibility audits
• Analyzed service data and support call patterns
• Mapped current experience and pain points

Phase 2: Design & Prototyping (Weeks 5-12)

• Created multiple design concepts focusing on different approaches
• Built interactive prototypes for testing
• Iterated based on early feedback

Phase 3: Testing & Validation (Weeks 13-20)

• Led usability testing sessions with patients and clinicians
• Tested with users with access needs, including blind users
• Validated designs in sensitive healthcare contexts
• Refined based on findings

Phase 4: Implementation & Launch (Weeks 21-28)

• Collaborated with developers to ensure accessibility standards
• Conducted final accessibility audits
• Phased rollout with monitoring and iteration

Results

The redesigned test results experience achieved significant improvements:

• 40% improvement in comprehension scores during usability testing
• 25% reduction in service strain calls related to test results
• WCAG 2.1 AA compliance achieved across all result types
• Improved patient confidence in understanding their results
• Positive feedback from both patients and clinicians

The design successfully balanced medical accuracy with accessibility and emotional usability, ensuring patients could understand their results without unnecessary anxiety.

Key Learnings

Working on healthcare products requires a unique sensitivity to emotional usability. Patients are often in vulnerable states when accessing test results, and the design must account for this context.

Accessibility isn't optional in healthcare—it's essential. Ensuring that all patients, regardless of ability, can understand critical health information is a fundamental responsibility.

Collaboration with clinicians was crucial for maintaining medical accuracy while improving usability. Their insights helped bridge the gap between technical medical information and patient-friendly communication.

Next Steps

The test results redesign has become a template for other sensitive information displays in the NHS App. The patterns and principles developed here are being applied to other areas, ensuring consistent, accessible, and emotionally considerate experiences throughout the app.