Healthcare apps are different. When a shopping app has a bug, someone might buy the wrong shirt. When a healthcare app has a bug, someone might take the wrong medication dose.
This changes everything about how you design.
Why healthcare is harder
Let me be direct about the constraints.
Regulatory requirements are real. HIPAA in the US, GDPR in Europe, various national health data laws everywhere else. These aren't suggestions. Violations come with fines that can bankrupt companies.
Users are often vulnerable. Sick people, elderly patients, caregivers under stress. They're not casually browsing—they're trying to manage health conditions while feeling terrible.
Mistakes have consequences. A confusing medication reminder could lead to a missed dose. An unclear lab result display could cause panic or false reassurance. The stakes are high.
Accessibility isn't optional. Many healthcare users have vision problems, motor impairments, or cognitive issues—often because of the very conditions the app is meant to help with.
HIPAA basics for designers
I'm not a lawyer, and this isn't legal advice. But designers need to understand what HIPAA actually requires.
Protected Health Information (PHI) includes:
- Names combined with health data
- Dates (birth, admission, discharge, death)
- Phone numbers, email addresses, Social Security numbers
- Medical record numbers
- Health plan beneficiary numbers
- Any unique identifier
What this means for UI:
- PHI should never appear in notifications that show on lock screens
- Screenshots and screen recordings need consideration
- Cached data needs protection
- Session timeouts are necessary, not optional
- Export and sharing features need careful thought
Security controls that affect design:
- Authentication requirements (often multi-factor)
- Audit logging (users should know their actions are logged)
- Access controls (role-based permissions visible in UI)
- Encryption indicators (users want reassurance)
Building trust through design
Healthcare users are paranoid about their data, and rightfully so. Health information is deeply personal and potentially embarrassing. Design needs to acknowledge this.
Transparency about data
Tell users exactly what data you collect and why.
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Data We Collect │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ✓ Medication schedules │
│ To send you reminders │
│ │
│ ✓ Refill dates │
│ To alert you before you run out │
│ │
│ ✗ We never share with advertisers │
│ ✗ We never sell your data │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
Don't bury this in a 47-page privacy policy nobody reads. Surface it in the UI where decisions happen.
Privacy controls users can see
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Privacy Settings │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Lock Screen Notifications │
│ ○ Show full details │
│ ○ Show "Health Reminder" only │
│ ● Hide all notifications │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Biometric Lock [ON] │
│ Require Face ID to open app │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Auto-Lock After │
│ [1 minute ▼] │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
Let users control their privacy. Some patients share devices with family members. Some have nosy coworkers. Give them options.
Clear data ownership
Users should understand they own their data and can export or delete it.
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Your Data │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ [ Download All My Data ] │
│ Get a copy in standard format │
│ │
│ [ Delete My Account ] │
│ Permanently remove all data │
│ (Cannot be undone) │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
Start designing: Generate healthcare app screens with accessibility-first layouts and trust-building UI patterns — no design background needed.
Core healthcare app patterns
Medication management
The most common healthcare app function. Get it right or don't build it.
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Today's Medications │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 8:00 AM │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ ○ Metformin 500mg │ │
│ │ Take with breakfast │ │
│ │ [Take Now] [Skip] [?] │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ 12:00 PM │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ ○ Lisinopril 10mg │ │
│ │ Take with or without food │ │
│ │ [Take Now] [Skip] [?] │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
Design details that matter:
Medication names should be precise. "Metformin 500mg" not just "Metformin." Dosage matters.
Instructions visible without tapping. Users shouldn't have to remember "was this the one I take with food?"
Skip needs confirmation. Skipping a dose is a medical decision. Require acknowledgment.
Help accessible. That [?] button should show drug information, side effects, interactions.
Health data display
Showing lab results, vitals, or other measurements requires care.
Good:
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Blood Glucose │
│ │
│ 127 mg/dL │
│ Target: 80-130 mg/dL │
│ ✓ Within range │
│ │
│ Measured: Today, 7:45 AM │
│ Fasting: Yes │
│ │
│ [View History] [Learn More] │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
Bad:
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Glucose: 127 │
│ (What unit? What's normal? │
│ When was this? Should I worry?) │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
Numbers without context cause anxiety. Always show reference ranges and whether values are concerning.
Dates and times are essential. Health data changes. Users need to know when measurements happened.
Explain, don't diagnose. "Within target range" is appropriate. "You're healthy" is not—that's a medical judgment.
Appointment scheduling
Healthcare scheduling has constraints regular calendars don't.
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Book Appointment │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Visit Type │
│ [Annual Physical ▼] │
│ │
│ Provider │
│ [Dr. Sarah Chen ▼] │
│ │
│ Available Times │
│ ┌─────┐ ┌─────┐ ┌─────┐ │
│ │ Mon │ │ Wed │ │ Thu │ │
│ │ 2/3 │ │ 2/5 │ │ 2/6 │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ │9:00a│ │2:30p│ │10:15a│ │
│ │11:30│ │4:00p│ │ 3:45p│ │
│ └─────┘ └─────┘ └─────┘ │
│ │
│ ⓘ New patient visits require │
│ 45 minutes. Limited availability.│
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
Visit type affects available slots. A 15-minute follow-up has different availability than a 60-minute procedure.
Provider preference matters. Patients often want their usual doctor, not whoever's available.
Explain constraints. Why are there only three slots this month? Tell users if they're a new patient, if the doctor's on vacation, if it's a specialty with limited hours.
Telemedicine waiting room
Virtual visits need a "waiting room" experience.
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Your Visit │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Dr. Sarah Chen │
│ Family Medicine │
│ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ ⏱ You're next │ │
│ │ Estimated wait: 5 min │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ Please stay on this │ │
│ │ screen. We'll connect │ │
│ │ you automatically. │ │
│ │ │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ While you wait: │
│ ✓ Camera working │
│ ✓ Microphone working │
│ ✓ Connection stable │
│ │
│ [ Test Audio/Video ] │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
Communicate wait times honestly. Doctors run late. Tell patients instead of leaving them wondering.
Keep them on the screen. If they navigate away, they might miss the connection.
Technical checks visible. Nothing worse than finally connecting and realizing the camera doesn't work.
Accessibility in healthcare
Healthcare apps have users with vision loss, hearing impairment, motor difficulties, and cognitive challenges. Often these are caused by the conditions the app addresses.
Vision considerations
- Font size controls (minimum 16pt default)
- High contrast mode
- Screen reader compatibility (VoiceOver, TalkBack)
- Don't rely on color alone to convey information
Bad: Red = bad, green = good
Good: Red with ✗ icon = bad, green with ✓ icon = good
Motor considerations
- Large tap targets (minimum 44x44 pt)
- Reduce need for precise gestures
- Voice input options
- One-handed operation possible
Cognitive considerations
- Simple language (avoid medical jargon or explain it)
- Clear information hierarchy
- Confirmation for important actions
- Progress indicators for multi-step processes
Testing with real users
Automated accessibility testing catches maybe 30% of issues. You need to test with actual users who have disabilities. This is non-negotiable for healthcare apps.
Error handling when errors matter
Healthcare errors need special treatment.
Medication errors
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ⚠️ Confirm Skip │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ You're about to skip: │
│ │
│ Metformin 500mg │
│ 8:00 AM dose │
│ │
│ Reason (optional): │
│ ○ Taking later │
│ ○ Side effects │
│ ○ Doctor's instruction │
│ ○ Ran out of medication │
│ ○ Other │
│ │
│ [Cancel] [Confirm Skip] │
│ │
│ ⓘ Your care team may be notified │
│ if you skip multiple doses. │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
Record the reason. Patterns in skipped doses are clinically relevant.
Warn about consequences. If the care team gets notified, say so.
Data entry validation
When users enter health data, validate carefully.
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Blood Pressure │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Systolic: [240] │
│ Diastolic: [120] │
│ │
│ ⚠️ These values are unusual. │
│ │
│ Typical range: 90-140 / 60-90 │
│ Your entry: 240 / 120 │
│ │
│ ○ These values are correct │
│ ○ Let me re-enter │
│ │
│ If you're experiencing a medical │
│ emergency, call 911 immediately. │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
Flag outliers but don't block. Real emergencies produce unusual numbers. Let users confirm rather than preventing entry.
Provide emergency guidance. If values suggest a crisis, tell users what to do.
System errors
When the app fails, healthcare failures are more concerning than "Oops!"
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Connection Problem │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ We couldn't save your blood │
│ glucose reading. │
│ │
│ Your data is not lost - it's │
│ saved on this device and will │
│ sync when connection returns. │
│ │
│ [ Try Again ] │
│ │
│ Need to log this reading now? │
│ Write it down: 127 mg/dL │
│ Date/time: Jan 27, 7:45 AM │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
Reassure about data. Users panic when health data might be lost.
Provide fallback. Give them the information to record manually if needed.
Integration with clinical systems
Healthcare apps often connect to EHR (Electronic Health Record) systems, labs, pharmacies, or wearables.
Setting expectations for sync
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Lab Results │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Your recent labs have been added. │
│ │
│ ⓘ Results typically appear 1-3 │
│ days after your lab visit. │
│ Complex tests may take longer. │
│ │
│ Last sync: 2 hours ago │
│ [ Refresh Now ] │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
Healthcare systems are slow. Set realistic expectations about when data appears.
Handling discrepancies
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Medication Mismatch │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Your pharmacy shows: │
│ Metformin 1000mg │
│ │
│ You currently have: │
│ Metformin 500mg │
│ │
│ This could mean: │
│ • Your dose was recently changed │
│ • There's a pharmacy error │
│ │
│ [ Update My Medication ] │
│ [ Keep Current ] │
│ [ Contact My Doctor ] │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
When data sources disagree, help users understand and resolve it.
Using AI to generate healthcare designs
AI tools like GenDesigns' text-to-app feature can create healthcare interfaces, but you need to be specific about requirements.
Example prompt:
Design a medication tracking app for elderly patients managing multiple prescriptions.
Screens needed:
1. Today's medication schedule with take/skip actions
2. Single medication detail with instructions and warnings
3. Refill reminder and pharmacy contact
4. Weekly adherence summary
Requirements:
- Large text (16pt minimum body, 24pt+ for medication names)
- High contrast (WCAG AA minimum)
- Simple language, no medical jargon without explanation
- Confirmation for skip actions
- Clear status indicators (taken, pending, skipped, late)
The audience is 65+ with potential vision issues. Design should feel trustworthy and medical, not trendy.
AI will generate appropriate layouts, but you'll need to verify accessibility compliance and clinical accuracy separately.
Testing healthcare apps
Clinical accuracy review
Have actual healthcare professionals review:
- Medication information
- Health education content
- Normal/abnormal ranges
- Emergency guidance
One factual error can be dangerous.
Usability testing with patients
Test with people who have:
- The conditions the app addresses
- Various levels of health literacy
- Different abilities (vision, motor, cognitive)
- Varying tech comfort levels
Your healthy 30-year-old QA team is not representative.
Compliance review
Before launch, get review from:
- HIPAA compliance experts
- Legal team
- Security auditors
This isn't optional and it's not quick. Plan for it.
Conclusion
Healthcare app design is constraint-driven. Privacy regulations, accessibility requirements, clinical accuracy, and the fundamental reality that mistakes can hurt people.
Start with safety. Make sure the app can't harm anyone through bugs, confusion, or bad information. Then make it usable. Then make it nice to look at. Our mobile app design checklist can help you verify you haven't missed anything critical.
The order matters. A beautiful app that causes a medication error is worse than an ugly one that keeps patients safe.
Related reading:
- App Onboarding Design Examples - Patient onboarding patterns
- Mobile UI Patterns 2026 - Accessible interaction patterns
- App Typography Guide: iOS vs Android - Readability best practices