Virufy

As a UX Design Intern at Virufy, a global AI-powered health initiative, I designed client-facing AI experience screens for the mobile app, enhancing usability through AI integration and pattern analysis. I also redesigned the current website and led a UI/usability overhaul of the FAQ feature, ensuring an improved user experience.

Role

UX Designer

Team

3 people

Timeline

3-10 months

Tools

Figma, Notion, Slack

Context

Pandemic hits, smartphones were omnipresent in society.

When the pandemic struck, it sparked a digital renaissance, inspiring the idea of using smartphones to detect respiratory diseases. Virufy began as a clinical study with 362 patients at a university hospital, leveraging AI technology to analyze breathing and cough patterns. This innovation transforms mobile devices into powerful tools for early diagnosis and detection.

Problem

More innovation, more challenges.

The evolving nature of AI and the time during the pandemic presented a unique set of UX hurdles for Virufy.

Balancing innovation with familiarity.

Virufy’s AI-powered cough analysis must feel approachable to new users. A user-friendly experience for a complex tool ensures clarity.

Driving volunteer engagement and data.

Virufy depends on community participation to improve its AI model. The platform must increase visibility and user engagement.

Establishing professionalism and validity.

As an AI-powered organization, Virufy must establish credibility and trust. The platform must display indicators of legitimacy.

Defining the product strategy and market.

Virufy needs clear positioning on how it is marketed to the targeted audience. This will shape its market strategy and product.

⚑ Challenge

Integrate the AI background of Virufy into their website and design the AI client-facing app to be clear, functional, and trustworthy.

Balancing innovation with familiarity.

Virufy’s AI-powered cough analysis must feel approachable to new users. A user-friendly experience for a complex tool ensures clarity.

Defining the product strategy and market.

Virufy needs clear positioning on how it is marketed to the targeted audience. This will shape its market strategy and product.

Driving volunteer engagement and data.

Virufy depends on community participation to improve its AI model. The platform must increase visibility and user engagement.

Establishing professionalism and validity.

As an AI-powered organization, Virufy must establish credibility and trust. The platform must display indicators of legitimacy.

⚑ Challenge

Integrate the AI background of Virufy into their website and design the AI client-facing app to be clear, functional, and trustworthy.

Discovery + Synthesis

Conducting desk research as our starting point + led an explorative, comparison activity between COVID-19 and COPD.

Before diving into any design solutions, I wanted to look at websites and articles that mentioned key inisghts on user and brand's perspectives on the global pandemic.

Summary of user perspectives

Difficulty accessing reliable and timely health information about respiratory illnesses.

Many diagnostic tools are either too invasive or inconvenient for users.

Limited access to free and fast diagnostic solutions, especially in underserved areas.

There is uncertainty about the accuracy and trustworthiness of AI.

Summary of brand perspectives

Building credibility around AI-powered diagnostics in a regulated healthcare industry.

Challenges in navigating global compliance and healthcare regulations.

Encouraging user participation to improve AI accuracy through community data.

Challenges in positioning and marketing Virufy beyond COVID-19.

Summary of user perspectives

Difficulty accessing reliable and timely health information about respiratory illnesses.

Many diagnostic tools are either too invasive or inconvenient for users.

Limited access to free and fast diagnostic solutions, especially in underserved areas.

There is uncertainty about the accuracy and trustworthiness of AI.

Understanding the differences and overlap of two respiratory diseases.

I was tasked with developing client-facing screens for COVID-19 and COPD detection. I needed to understand the key symptoms of both conditions, differentiate them, and develop targeted questions to help the AI model predict more accurate results.

Key overlaps between COVID-19 & COPD

1) Shortness of Breath: both can cause breathing difficulties, but in COVID-19, it often worsens rapidly.

2) Coughing: chronic cough is common in both conditions, though it is typically dry in COVID-19 and mucus-producing in COPD.

3) Fatigue & Weakness: both COVID-19 and COPD can cause severe fatigue, making daily activities more difficult.

Key differences between COVID-19 & COPD

1) Fever & Loss of Taste/Smell: COVID-19 uniquely presents with fever and loss of taste/smell, whereas COPD doesn't.

2) Mucus Production: COVID-19 cough is often dry but can become wet in severe cases, whereas COPD is usually wet and has mucus.

3) Onset & Duration: COVID-19 develops suddenly and lasts weeks, while COPD worsens gradually over years.

Ideation + Testing

Far from perfect, how iteration and user testing helped overcome challenges and move forward in the design process.

With a deeper understanding of respiratory diseases, I began exploring new design solutions, archiving what didn’t work, and continuously testing to ensure each decision was grounded by user findings. I invited real people experiencing COVID-19 symptoms to interact with early design versions, uncovering key insights that informed our next steps.

Easy to use

Ensure the user flow for COPD and COVID-19 to be simple, intuitive, and hassle-free, removing the need for invasive measures.

Security & Trust

Ensure that screens highlight Virufy’s story and AI-backed research, while ensuring user confidentiality and the reliability of their results.

Extensive research into users’ concerns and anxieties around diseases like COVID-19 and COPD was our starting point. From there, we deepened our understanding of the conditions themselves to improve the AI model and craft a more responsive experience. Success was measured by whether users could effectively complete the end-to-end journey with confidence and clarity.

Mobile Final Designs + Solution

Making AI technology simple and understandable to users.

Making AI technology
simple and understandable
to users.

Making AI technology simple and understandable to users.

Users will first encounter simple, step-by-step instructions to ensure a smooth recording process. We designed a minimalist audio input and playback system, allowing users to retry infinitely to prevent errors and capture the most accurate audio.

This streamlined approach keeps AI technology in the background, making the experience feel effortless rather than complex.

Stress-Free Diagnosis - Users have unlimited attempts, clear step-by-step instructions, and the flexibility to navigate back at any time.

Stress-Free Diagnosis Users have unlimited attempts, clear step-by-step instructions, and the flexibility to navigate back at any time.

Beginner-Friendly UI - A simple and familiar interface ensures that users of all ages and tech backgrounds can complete the process with ease.

Beginner-Friendly UI

A simple and familiar interface ensures that users of all ages and tech backgrounds can complete the process with ease.

Science backed questions that help the AI model work.

The set of questions for COPD or COVID-19 not only helps the AI model generate more accurate predictions but also provides users with a fast and non-invasive experience. Backed by science, these questions focus on symptoms and patterns that aid in predicting respiratory diseases.

Correcting AI errors - science-based questions help the AI identify trends and patterns, compensating for gaps caused by poor user audio inputs.

Correcting AI errors science-based questions help the AI identify trends and patterns, compensating for gaps caused by poor user audio inputs.

Convenient Questionnaire - simple diagnostic questions streamline the process, eliminating the need for in-person visits, invasive procedures, and long wait times.

Convenient Questionnaire

simple diagnostic questions streamline the process, eliminating the need for in-person visits, invasive procedures, and long wait times.

Results + Metrics

Transforming healthcare through smartphones, making global disease detection accessible to everyone.

As a UX intern, I contributed to Virufy’s AI-powered cough detection app, supporting its growth and global data collection efforts.

LEAP 2025 PRESENTATION & DISPLAY

Patients

256,000+

Cough data collected from over 256,000 patients around the world.

Countries

10+

Cough data has been global and collected from over 10 countries.

Supporters

20+

Over 20 supporters that believe in Virufy and sponsor the organization.

Design Opportunities

Alongside the app, I was tasked on revamping the website and key features.

Beyond improving the AI experience, developing a professional and functional website was essential for telling Virufy’s story and showcasing its technology. This helped build trust and support while encouraging new patients to contribute their data.

OLD WEBSITE 5.0

Why did the website call for a redesign?

Evaluated through research and endorsed by the marketing team and CEO, the website’s overall look and feel required a refresh. More importantly, several hgh-priority tasks demanded a UI and usability overhaul.

Branding Personality and Visuals

Pain Point

The interface felt dull and lacked visual contrast or engaging elements that would attract users to the Cough Check app.

Recommendation

Through competitive analysis, we found that successful company sites often use strong visuals and high-contrast themes to enhance engagement.

FAQ Feature

Pain Point

Difficult to find essential information quickly, such as details on the AI technology, logistics, and company background.

Recommendation

An intuitive FAQ section with categorical filters and a search bar that uses keywords to quickly locate information.

Redesign

From critique to creation, a new vision for the website emerges.

Continuously striving for improvement, we incorporated feedback from marketing and the CEO to address user pain points, refine the website, and solidify Virufy’s credibility while attracting more users.

NEW FAQ FEATURE DEMO

Reflection

Reflecting on my experience from my first internship.

As my first internship, Virufy provided an incredible opportunity to collaborate with a diverse and supportive team. I worked alongside designers, team leads, and cross-functional departments like marketing, gaining valuable mentorship and hands-on experience. Taking ownership of this project was a rewarding challenge, and I’m grateful to have contributed to an organization that is driving positive and transformative change in healthcare.

LinkedIn website announcment

Some nice words from my design lead.

Working with Dylan at Virufy was a pleasure; he's a talented UI/UX designer with a sharp eye for detail, innovative ideas, and strong reliability in meeting deadlines and collaborating.

"Working with Dylan at Virufy was a pleasure; he's a talented UI/UX designer with a sharp eye for detail, innovative ideas, and strong reliability in meeting deadlines and collaborating."

Deepika Rao

UX Design Lead @ Virufy

CEO/Founder@ Peece Tech

Aside from the overall project, here are a few specific ways I contributed to the UX team.

Introduced Design Workshops

During the initial phase of the website redesign, I introduced and advocated for design workshops within the UX team. Once approved, we leveraged these workshops to gather inspiration for ideas, typography, colors, and UI, shaping the direction of the redesign. This allowed for free thinking, and helped the UX team integrate better solutions and designs in the final product.

Designed FAQ Feature

During the website redesign, my primary task was to develop a new solution for the FAQ feature. Designing the updated version came with its hurdles, but in the end it made me push my design thinking. In the end, I crafted an efficient solution that will be implemented in Website 6.0.