Role: Senior Principal UX Designer + GUI Lead
Product & Clinical Context
The UNITY® Vitreoretinal Cataract System (UVCS) is Alcon’s first integrated surgical platform designed to support both cataract and vitreoretinal procedures within a single system. Historically, these two domains evolved on separate product lineages, each with its own workflows, mental models, and UI paradigms.
Primary Clinical Users
Vitreoretinal surgeons
Cataract surgeons
Circulating nurses and scrub techs
Why this matters
These procedures occur in high‑stakes environments where clarity, speed, and precision directly affect patient outcomes. Surgeons must make rapid decisions while maintaining complete control of fluidics, IOP, phaco power, illumination, and vitrectomy parameters. Any inconsistency or cognitive friction can introduce risk.
UVCS represented a major strategic shift: a unified platform that reduces cognitive load, increases consistency, and supports cross‑procedure efficiency.
The use case challenge
Two surgical worlds
Regulatory + technical constraints
Legacy mental models
My Role + Leadership Scope
UX strategy | Cross Functional Alignment | Systems Level Thinking
Workflow definition | Interaction design | Clinical collaboration | Design system patterns
Design Process
Understand | Define | Explore | Validate | System Level
Outcome + Impact
Unified two workflows | reduced Cognitive Load | Influenced future Systems
Final Screens Gallery
Streamlined setup surgery workflow for both CAT + VIT
IOP Control
Simplified design with more functionality
Diathermy
Competing user needs converged into unified solution
Laser Step
Innovation, safety, and simplicity
Branding
Set the tone for the Alcon Surgical Suite
Reflection
“What I learned…”
“How this shaped my approach…”
“How this influenced future platforms…”
