Graphic design and interactive media students at UW-Stout are collaborating with professionals from Epic Systems, one of the nation’s leading healthcare software companies, to improve the user experiences of patients and healthcare providers.
Within Professor Nagesh Shinde’s Healthcare User Experience Design course, students are working with designers at Epic Systems, who serve as mentors for students as they create web, mobile app or kiosk products and services.
“Building this partnership with Epic has taken immense effort, and promoting healthcare user experience – UX – on our campus is vital,” Shinde said. “It shows how an interdisciplinary collaboration can shape students’ experiences.”
Founded in 1979, Epic Systems develops software to help improve the way more than 325 million people receive healthcare. The Verona-based company is one of the biggest privately held U.S. tech companies, with reported revenue of $4.9 billion in 2023. Currently, 2,400 hospitals and 45,000 clinics in the U.S. use Epic software.
“The pairing of design and healthcare is an interesting emerging space,” Shinde said. “The healthcare profession didn’t always appreciate design, but it now recognizes the user experience as essential to the quality of accessible and meaningful service. There’s a new shift in understanding that design has to be a part of everything we do.”
Over the last two years, Shinde has worked closely with Epic UX Design Team Lead Joshua Canale and UX Designer Adrienne Hoover to strengthen students’ experiences in the course.
“The healthcare sector used to place functionality first in software design. Usability was an afterthought,” Canale said. “Now, UX is at the forefront of design in healthcare, with a focus on efficient and intuitive software programs. UX is a powerful tool that can positively impact patient care, as well as empower doctors and clinicians.”
One recent graduate’s capstone project is being referenced by a national nonprofit organization. Ceci Feldt’s research and concepts for her MyVCP: Rare Disease Tracker are providing valuable insights for a new study app by Cure VCP Disease, driving research, support and education initiatives.
Although the collaboration with Epic began after Feldt graduated in 2023, the Healthcare UX Design course was a turning point for Feldt in her college career. It introduced her to the idea that her two passions — healthcare and design — could merge into a meaningful and impactful career.
“It opened my eyes to the vast opportunities where design can serve as a powerful tool, not just for aesthetics but for creating solutions that genuinely improve people’s lives,” Feldt said.
“This course helped me recognize that design is everywhere, embedded in every profession and practice, and has the potential to drive real change. It reinforced my belief that my creativity could be used for more than just visual appeal — I could build tools that make a difference in healthcare,” she added.
The course is offered through UW-Stout’s School of Art and Design and is one of the first courses of its kind to be offered among design departments.
Using design to impact care, empower caregivers
Canale has coordinated outreach activities for Shinde’s class with Epic’s software, UX design and artificial intelligence divisions.
“Josh’s team has been an incredible pillar of support for our program. He has had a large impact on getting students excited about the healthcare space. I’m committed to strengthening our collaboration in the years ahead,” Shinde said.
Canale starts his conversation with students by having them think about a time when they struggled with a confusing app or website. He then asks them to imagine that same frustration happening in a hospital, where time and clarity are critical, and the risk is high.
“UX design in healthcare isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about making sure clinicians and patients can access the right information quickly and accurately. If they can't, it could hurt patient care. A well-designed system can literally help save lives,” Canale said.
An example the Epic team shares with students is how even small design choices can have massive consequences in healthcare: Imagine a doctor entering a patient’s weight for a medication dosage. If a system allows shorthand, such as "k" for kilograms and "l" for pounds, it creates a risk because the letters are next to each other on a keyboard.
“A simple typo could mean entering 80k (80 kilograms) instead of 80l (80 pounds) – a mistake that could lead to a drug dosage meant for an adult being given to a child, or vice versa. In extreme cases, that kind of mix-up could be fatal,” Canale explained.
To prevent this, Epic designed a system to require full unit names – such as “kg” or “lb” – instead of single-letter entries.
“Even though this adds an extra step in a workflow that is already time-crunched, it removes the risk of a life-threatening typo,” he added. “It’s a clear example of how good UX isn’t just about efficiency, it’s about making sure critical decisions are accurate every time, especially when lives are at stake.”
Shinde invites other working professionals to share input and feedback on students’ designs throughout the course and during their final presentations. In the future, the course may be open to students from other universities.
Creating solutions to improve people’s lives
Feldt’s drive for advocacy in healthcare, combined with her experience as a CNA, led her to develop an app as her senior capstone for patients with VCP disease, a rare neurodegenerative condition that can affect a person’s muscles, bones, brain and nerves. There is no cure or treatment as of yet.
Her senior capstone project, MyVCP: Rare Disease Tracker, is a customizable app that helps individuals with VCP disease and caregivers track symptoms, health events and disease progression; take surveys to aid in research; discover trends based on symptoms to reveal triggers and remedies; and digitally share their experiences with their doctor and support system.
Cure VCP is developing the app through the CZI Rare as One grant in collaboration with 4YouandMe. It is currently in the testing phase, and patients will soon enroll in the study.
The core goal of MyVCP app closely aligns with Cure VCP’s initiative for its study app – to leverage patient-reported outcomes and biometrics to empower patients and leverage their experiences for research, Feldt said.
Feldt’s personal connection to VCP disease inspired her project. Both her family and her husband’s family are affected by VCP disease.
“I see firsthand the difficulties of navigating this disease, and I wanted to develop a tool for patients and caregivers to have a voice and contribute to research,” said Feldt, who lives in San Diego with her husband, Brandon, the development and partner relations coordinator for Cure VCP Disease. They are caregivers for his mother, who has FTD caused by VCP disease.
Since 2022, Feldt has volunteered with Cure VCP Disease as an ambassador, assisting with the facilitation of conferences, networking, and contributing to marketing, social media, patient outreach, and design projects, including the I CAN MOVEment virtual Move-a-thon logo. Most recently, Feldt has been assisting in the launch of a new support group for young adults whose families are affected by VCP disease.
“Through my volunteer work during my senior year, I built strong relationships with the VCP patient community — many of whom I now consider friends — and received valuable insights from patients, caregivers and researchers. Dr. Armelle Pindon, who was Cure VCP’s chief scientific officer at the time, played a key role in helping me refine the goals and intended outcomes of my app. My hope is that my capstone project has planted seeds of encouragement in patients, demonstrating that technology can have a real impact on the future of this disease, and inspiring more people to participate in the Cure VCP Disease study app.” Feldt said.
She is eager to see the graphic design program at UW-Stout continue to emphasize the importance of design in healthcare and equip students through partnerships with companies like Epic Systems.
To other young designers looking to make an impact, Feldt said, “Utilize your gifts and leverage your life experiences to make lasting change. Find a need and merge that with your passion for design.”
View Feldt’s MyVCP project to see her design iterations and research for her app.
The graphic design program also partners with Great Northern Corporation, which sponsors a collaborative experience course that brings together graphic design and packaging students’ education. Formed in 2021, students within the cross-disciplinary course design and develop products for GNC’s national clients, with GNC representatives and mentors involved throughout the semester-long process.
The graphic design and interactive media program is part of the School of Art and Design, one of the largest public art schools in the Midwest. It also offers bachelor’s degrees in animation and digital media; game design and development-art; illustration; industrial and product design; interior design; studio art; arts administration and entrepreneurship; fashion design and development; and video production, and an M.F.A. in design.
