NHS Blood Choices

Class 1 Medical Device App

Designing a Class 1 medical device application for NHS Blood & Transplant, helping clinicians make better decisions about blood component prescribing at the patient bedside and reducing inappropriate transfusions across the NHS.

Client NHS Blood & Transplant

Year 2015

Services UX, UI, Mobile App Design

Role Lead Designer

Platform iOS / Android

The Challenge

Increasing demand for blood components, driven by aging populations and new medical therapies, combined with a significant number of inappropriate and unnecessary transfusions, was placing pressure on NHS blood supply and patient safety.

Co-creation with Clinicians

Rather than designing in isolation, the project used a co-creation methodology, working directly with junior doctors, consultant haematologists, transfusion practitioners, and quality managers to shape the app around real clinical contexts and workflows.

Designing for the Bedside

The app needed to work in demanding clinical environments: quick to navigate, legible under pressure, and clear enough to support confident decision-making without interrupting clinical workflow.

Following National Guidelines

The app surfaces NICE guidelines and NHSBT recommendations at the point of prescribing, helping clinicians follow best practice without having to leave the patient's side to consult reference materials.

"It is great we are working on this project to ultimately help improve the safe and appropriate treatment for patients."

Aman Dhesi, Patient Blood Management Regional Lead, NHS Blood and Transplant

Final Designs

The finished application: a clean, accessible interface designed to reduce cognitive load in high-pressure environments while meeting the regulatory requirements of a Class 1 medical device.

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NHS Blood & Transplant identified a significant problem: a large proportion of blood component transfusions across the NHS were inappropriate or unnecessary, placing strain on blood supply and carrying real risk to patients. The 2011 NHSBT Commercial Review called for better support tools to help clinicians follow national recommendations at the point of prescribing. The Blood Choices app was the response: a Class 1 medical device built to bring NICE guidelines and NHSBT best practice directly to the bedside.

The Approach

The project used a co-creation methodology, working directly with the clinicians who would use the app in practice. Research sessions brought together junior doctors, consultant haematologists, transfusion practitioners, and quality managers to map real clinical workflows and identify where the existing process broke down.

This grounding in clinical reality shaped every design decision, from the information hierarchy and navigation model through to the language used in decision-support prompts. Designing for a clinical environment means designing for speed, stress, and interrupted attention: the interface had to be immediately legible and navigable without prior training.

Medical Device Requirements

As a Class 1 medical device, the app was subject to regulatory requirements that informed the design process from the outset. Decisions were documented and traceable, and the interface was designed to minimise the risk of user error in clinical settings, with clear hierarchies, unambiguous language, and careful attention to error states and edge cases.

Impact

Class 1 Medical device classification

NHS-wide Designed for use across the full NHS estate

NICE Guidelines surfaced at point of prescribing

Co-created With doctors, haematologists and transfusion practitioners