MaaTRx Redesign

Improving navigation, system feedback, and clinical information clarity for a healthcare AI platform.

Role: UX Designer
Timeline: Jan – Apr 2026
Client: MaaTRx × University of Toronto

Project Overview

MaaTRx is a healthcare platform with multiple clinical tools. Our team focused on SynapseRx, a tool that helps healthcare practitioners identify drug alternatives during shortages.

The Challenge

Healthcare practitioners needed to compare multiple drug alternatives during medication shortages.

However, the selection process presented several usability challenges:

  • Information was difficult to scan

  • Relationships between drugs were unclear

  • Users struggled to review selected alternatives

  • Important actions were hard to find

These challenges increased cognitive load and reduced confidence during decision-making.

Research & Insights

Users struggled to understand how to enter the workflow

During usability testing, participants were unsure how to start searching for alternative medications.

I actually don’t know what just happened... I was expecting a search bar... but it just brought me to Synapse.
— Participant 1
I tried clicking the ‘Synapse’ option... it didn’t work, so I clicked the green box instead.
— Participant 6

Users were confused by the system language and actions

Several participants expected to find drug alternatives, but the interface instead emphasized document generation.

I would like the call to action to start with something like ‘find alternative’ rather than ‘generate document’...
— Participant 4
I don’t really know what ‘documents’ mean...
— Participant 1

Users lacked confidence when reviewing AI-generated recommendations

Participants were uncertain about the relationships between medications and wanted more transparency around AI-generated content.

Is this like the parent drug?
— Participant 3
I wonder if there needs to be a disclaimer that this is AI-generated.
— Participant 4

Design Strategy

Based on the research findings, I focused on three key design goals:

  1. Guide users into the workflow

    • Reduce uncertainty by creating clearer entry points and contextual actions.

  2. Support Confident decision-making

    • Help users review and compare alternatives without losing context.

  3. Reduce cognitive load

    • Surface critical information and actions at the right moment in the workflow.

Visual System & Accessibility

Moodboard

To create a more cohesive and trustworthy experience, I developed a visual language inspired by healthcare dashboards and clinical tools.

The visual system focused on:

  • Clear information hierarchy

  • Consistent component behavior

  • High readability

  • Professional and trustworthy aesthetics

WCAG Color Guide

Accessibility was considered throughout the redesign process.

We established a WCAG-compliant color system to ensure:

  • Sufficient contrast ratios

  • Clear status communication

  • Consistent visual hierarchy

  • Better readability across clinical environments

Impact

A standardized visual system improved consistency, scalability, and accessibility across future product development.

Redesign Workflow

The redesigned flow introduced the following:

  • Clearer entry points

  • Progressive guidance

  • Better visibility of system status

  • Reduced uncertainty during AI processing

WHY IT MATTERS?

  • Users previously felt unsure about what the system was doing and whether their actions had been registered.

  • The redesigned workflow improves transparency and keeps users informed throughout the process.

Key Design Solutions

Guided Buttons

Problem

Users often missed critical actions because CTAs were positioned at the bottom of lengthy pages.

Solution

I introduced a floating CTA that appears after users make a selection.

Rationale

The CTA appears when users are ready to proceed, reducing the need to scroll and reinforcing the next step in the workflow.

Impact

  • Reduced navigation effort

  • Improved discoverability of key actions

  • Maintained user momentum throughout the workflow

Selection Blade

Problem

Selected alternatives were hidden at the bottom of the page, forcing users to scroll repeatedly to review their choices.

Solution

I introduced an in-content Selection Blade that provides a persistent summary of selected medications without disrupting the workflow.

Rationale

The Selection Blade allows users to:

  • Review choices in context

  • Compare selections more easily

  • Stay within the current workflow

  • Confirm decisions before generating a document

Impact

By reducing context switching and keeping critical information visible, the Selection Blade lowers cognitive load and supports more confident decision-making.

Design Outcomes

Improving Workflow Clarity

  • Improved workflow navigation through guided interactions, clearer entry points, and enhanced system feedback.

  • Helped users better understand where they were in the process and what actions to take next.

Supporting Decision Confidence

  • Increased confidence when reviewing alternative medications through improved transparency, contextual guidance, and clearer information hierarchy.

  • Created a more structured experience for high-stakes clinical decision-making.

Reducing Cognitive Load

  • Reduced context switching by introducing in-content selection interactions and surfacing critical information at the point of decision-making.

  • Simplified complex workflows into more manageable and predictable steps.

Client Impact

  • Received positive feedback during the final presentation, with strong interest from the client in adopting several workflow and interaction design recommendations.

  • Key areas of interest included the Selection Blade interaction, guided CTA patterns, workflow restructuring, and accessibility improvements.

Reflection

  • Designing operational tools is less about engagement and more about supporting confident decision-making.

  • Small changes in interaction can significantly reduce cognitive load in complex workflows.

  • Research becomes most valuable when it directly informs workflow and system-level design decisions.

  • Early user validation helps uncover assumptions before they become design constraints.

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