GALILEO™ Surgical Planning
COMPANY
Entomo
ROLE
UX/UI Designer Consultant
Skills & Tools
Product Thinking
Visual Design
User Research
Tools
Figma/Adobe XD
YEAR
Fall 2020
Team
1 UX researcher
2 UI Designer
GALILEO™ Surgical Planning – Rethinking Surgical Planning Through Human-Centered AI
In complex surgeries, every second spent planning can influence life-altering outcomes. Yet today, most surgeons still rely on fragmented systems, static 2D scans, and memory-heavy decision-making in high-stakes environments.
Our team set out to redesign the surgical planning experience—not just by digitizing tools, but by understanding what surgeons truly need when preparing for critical procedures.
We collaborated closely with surgeons, radiologists, and OR nurses to co-create a planning interface that’s intelligent, intuitive, and deeply trustworthy. My role focused on leading the UX research, concept development, and interaction design to ensure that the system doesn’t just look good—but thinks and feels right in a clinical setting.
This case study captures our journey of turning raw insights into a tangible product that’s already making its way into real hospital workflows.
Design Approach (01): Surgical Planning Platform
In designing the surgical planning system, my approach focused on empowering surgical teams to navigate complex workflows with clarity and control. I emphasized:
Creating detailed patient profiles with relevant clinical history, diagnostics, and pre-op assessments,
Managing surgical plans — including tasks, team assignments, and timelines — in a structured and flexible way,
Supporting the entire surgical lifecycle: from case intake and preparation to intraoperative guidance and post-op tracking.
This design approach ensures the platform supports critical decision points — such as risk stratification, scheduling coordination, and real-time updates — while minimizing cognitive load for clinicians and ensuring safe, efficient surgical outcomes.
Challenge 02
In designing the surgical planning system, my approach focused on empowering surgical teams to navigate complex workflows with clarity and control. I emphasized:
Creating detailed patient profiles with relevant clinical history, diagnostics, and pre-op assessments,
Managing surgical plans — including tasks, team assignments, and timelines — in a structured and flexible way,
Supporting the entire surgical lifecycle: from case intake and preparation to intraoperative guidance and post-op tracking.
This design approach ensures the platform supports critical decision points — such as risk stratification, scheduling coordination, and real-time updates — while minimizing cognitive load for clinicians and ensuring safe, efficient surgical outcomes.
Problem
"More experiments, more challenges"
Manual and Time-Consuming Processes: Traditional surgical planning heavily depended on manual measurements and static tools, resulting in time-intensive workflows.
Lack of Precision: Generic tools often failed to account for patient-specific anatomical nuances, leading to inaccuracies in planning and execution.
Limited Integration of Data: Existing systems struggled to integrate diverse data sources (e.g., imaging, lab reports, and patient history) into a cohesive planning workflow.
Inadequate User Experience: The user interfaces of traditional tools were unintuitive, leading to increased cognitive load and potential user errors.
Suboptimal Patient Outcomes: Inefficiencies in planning and the lack of AI-driven insights contributed to delayed procedures and less personalized surgical approaches.
Outcome
Design Process (03): Surgical Planning System
Following the design process doesn't just create an intuitive and safe user experience — it provides a structured path for continuous improvement, clinical validation, and agile iteration.The project was structured across three phases: Discovery, Design, and Delivery, tailored to the needs of surgical teams and health tech stakeholders.
Research
Methods and Activities
Competitive Analysis
Reviewed leading surgical planning tools to benchmark features, usability, and design standards.
Identified gaps such as the lack of interactive imaging, insufficient customization, and limited accessibility features.
Outcome Discovery Phase
Enhanced Accuracy
Achieved over 95% accuracy in simulation metrics, minimizing errors and improving the reliability of pre-operative assessments
Adoption Rate
Achieved a 90% adoption rate within the first six months of deployment, demonstrating its value and usability for medical professionals.
Scalability and Integration:
Successfully integrated with existing hospital systems, making it adaptable for various departments and medical specialties.
Efficiency Boost:
Reduced surgical planning time by 30%, enabling faster preparation and resource allocation for surgical procedures.
Patient Outcomes:
Indirectly contributed to better patient outcomes through improved surgical preparation and error reduction.
User Satisfaction:
Garnered overwhelmingly positive feedback from surgeons and medical staff for the intuitive design, seamless workflows, and ability to personalize the tool to their specific needs
Improved Collaboration
Facilitated better communication among surgical teams by providing shared access to real-time data and case updates.
Training Efficiency
Reduced onboarding time for new users by 40%, thanks to intuitive interfaces and a well-structured training module.
Regulatory Compliance
Ensured alignment with medical data privacy standards like GDPR and HIPAA, enhancing trust and legal compliance.
Time Saved in Decision-Making
Enabled surgeons to make quicker, data-driven decisions with access to advanced imaging and analytics features.
User-Centered Approach: Engaging users early ensured the designs addressed real-world needs effectively.
Collaboration: Cross-functional teamwork fostered innovation and alignment with project goals.
Ethical Design: Prioritizing privacy and accessibility built user trust and compliance.
Iterative Process: Prototyping and usability testing refined the design for optimal performance.
Scalable Solutions: Creating modular designs enabled adaptability across various medical specialties.
Continuous Learning: Understanding complex surgical workflows enhanced the design's impact.
Design Impact: Thoughtful interfaces successfully improved efficiency and accuracy in critical scenarios.