WSAudiology
The world’s first cloud-based fitting software
Company: WSAudiology
My Role: UX / UI
At WSA, I worked at the intersection of design system and complex clinical workflows. I contributed to the global design system used across Widex, Signia, and internal tools, while also designing key UI components and patterns for Widex’s first cloud-based fitting software. These two tracks allowed me to support both high-level product consistency and the practical needs of audiologists working with highly technical, real-time fitting tasks.
Goal: Designing intuitive workflows for the first cloud-based fitting software for audiologists.
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workflow simplification
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UI design for highly technical screens
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creation of new components & patterns
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supporting the global design system
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collaboration with engineers & clinicians
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interaction behavior specifica tions
Focus: Workflow redesign, UI components, System patterns
Team: Audiologists, Engineers, PMs, Developers, Design System Team, UX Team Tools: Figma, Frontify, Miro
“Widex Compass Cloud is more than just fitting software; it's a strategic foundation for the future of hearing care”
Project background
Widex Compass Cloud is the first cloud-based fitting platform from WS Audiology, enabling audiologists to adjust, tune, and configure hearing aids through modern, web-based workflows. My role focused on transforming deeply technical, engineering-driven tasks into intuitive, clinically reliable user experiences and creating scalable UI components used across modules.
Primary users:
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Audiologists
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Hearing Aid Specialists
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Clinical Support Staff
Methods used:
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expert interviews
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shadowing sessions
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walkthroughs of legacy workflows
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engineer knowledge transfers
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evaluations of early prototypes
Audiologist / Hearing Aid Specialist
Goal: Fit hearing aids efficiently and accurately while keeping full control
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“I don’t have time to search for features, the patient is sitting in front of me” - Users work under time pressure with patients physically present
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“Too many graphs at once can be overwhelming.”
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Cloud dependency introduced anxiety around internet stability, session loss, and device state - “What happens if the connection drops mid-fitting?”
Audiologist / Hearing Aid Specialist
Goal: Lead the fitting session with confidence and precision, while the technology quietly supports rather than dictates the process.
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Errors feel personal not technical - “If something sounds wrong, the patient looks at me.”
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Users compared everything to legacy desktop fitting software - “I expect this to work like the software I already know, I don’t want to relearn everything.”
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Users understand audiology, not engineering systems- “I don’t need to know how it works, just that it works correctly.”
Through interviews with audiologists and hearing aid specialists, we learned that trust, control, and clarity are essential when introducing cloud-based fitting. Users work under time pressure, manage complex data, and carry direct responsibility for patient outcomes. The UX needed to reduce cognitive load, provide transparency in system behavior, and align closely with familiar fitting workflows to ensure confidence in clinical use.
Key insights
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Users needed speed + clarity, especially during live fittings.
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Clinical accuracy requires tight hierarchy—errors have consequences.
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Many tasks involve adjusting multiple parameters simultaneously.
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Mental models differed greatly between experienced and new clinicians.
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Too much technical data surfaced at the wrong time.
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Navigation patterns were inconsistent and hard to learn.
UX challanges
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How to simplify engineering-heavy controls without losing precision
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Designing for expert users with strict workflows
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Ensuring real-time responsiveness is reflected in the UI
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Creating scalable patterns for future modules
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Aligning multiple teams and stakeholders
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Working within clinical, safety, and regulatory constraints
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Designing for multiple screens, browsers, and clinic setups
From Complexity to Clarity — The Design Process
To reach the final experience, I worked through a lean, iterative design process focused on reducing cognitive load while respecting clinical accuracy and regulatory constraints.
Key steps
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User interviews & shadowing with audiologists and hearing aid specialists to understand real fitting workflows, time pressure, and risk points
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AS-IS / TO-BE workflow mapping to identify friction, manual steps, and decision overload across the fitting journey
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Rapid concept exploration in low-fidelity wireframes to test hierarchy, grouping, and task sequencing
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Iterative prototyping in Figma, validating concepts with product, engineering, and clinical experts
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Continuous refinement based on technical constraints, usability feedback, and cross-market requirements
The focus was not adding features, but removing friction — making complex engineering decisions feel manageable and safe.
AS - IS workflow
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Fragmented task flows
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Too many steps to reach adjustments
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Technical terminology without context
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Repetitive navigation loops
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Inconsistent component behavior
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No guidance or empty states
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Limited responsiveness
TO - BE workflow
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Help users complete tasks faster
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Create a predictable, scalable UI framework
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Reduce cognitive load in high-information screens
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Improve clarity through hierarchy & grouping
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Align visual language across modules
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Support the Design System expansion
Simplifying a Complex Cloud Based Fitting Workflow
1. From Opaque Connections → Clear System States
Before
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Unclear connection status
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Anxiety around cloud reliability
After
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Explicit device discovery and connection states
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Clear left/right hearing aid pairing
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Visible progress feedback
Making system states visible increased trust in cloud connectivity during live patient sessions.
2. From Implicit Data Handling → User-Controlled Sessions
Before
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Uncertainty about reading or overwriting data
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Fear of irreversible actions
After
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Clear session choices: New fitting, Read data, Write data
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Confirmations before high-impact actions
Explicit session choices restored user control and aligned the flow with clinical decision-making.
3. From Dense Data → Focused Decision-Making
Before
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Too much technical data shown at once
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High cognitive load
After
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Clear hierarchy in audiograms and gain curves
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Progressive disclosure for advanced settings
Progressive disclosure helped clinicians focus on decisions rather than interpreting raw data.
4. From Risky Actions → Confident Application
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Critical actions looked similar to low-risk actions
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Limited feedback during data transfer
After
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Strong visual emphasis on primary actions
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Clear feedback during transfers and updates
Clear hierarchy and feedback increased confidence when applying changes in front of patients.
5. From Fragmented UI → Consistent System Experience
Before
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Inconsistent patterns across modules
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Steep learning curve
After
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Reusable components aligned with the global design system
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Predictable interactions across workflows
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Visually prove repetition, predictability, and shared patterns across the product
System-level consistency reduced learning effort and improved adoption across markets.
Outcome
The redesigned cloud-based fitting experience transformed complex engineering workflows into a predictable, trustworthy, and clinically safe tool — supporting both audiologists and hearing aid specialists in real-world patient sessions.
Outcome & Reflection
Compass Cloud became the first cloud-based fitting solution at WSA, enabling audiologists to move from fragmented desktop tools to a unified, scalable platform.
By translating complex engineering logic into structured, predictable interactions, the solution:
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Reduced cognitive load during fittings
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Increased confidence when applying changes in front of patients
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Created a foundation for future products through a shared design system
What I Learned
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Designing for clinical tools is about trust, not delight
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Clear hierarchy and feedback matter more than visual novelty
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Design systems are not just UI libraries — they are decision frameworks for teams and users
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Close collaboration with engineers and domain experts is essential when simplifying complex systems
This project shaped how I approach complex, high-stakes products: start with user confidence, design for consistency, and scale through systems. It aught me that great UX in clinical software is less about aesthetics and more about clarity, predictability, and trust. By combining user insights, AS-IS / TO-BE analysis, and system-level thinking, we transformed a complex fitting process into a confident, scalable cloud experience — laying the foundation for future products across WSA.