Expert Session Write-Up

A Cardiologist Reviewed
HeartWise

Remote prototype walkthrough and feedback conversation with a physician carrying cardiology experience. Here is what they found, what they liked, and what needs to improve.

Physician / Cardiology Expert
Remote Prototype Walkthrough
Semi-Structured Think-Aloud
HeartWise 3D ECG Visualizer
12
ECG leads recommended
6
Core feedback points
5
Design takeaways
Section 01
Expert Description

Who reviewed the prototype

Dr. Prashant Rane
Cardiologist
Dr. Prashant Rane ↗

Clinically familiar with ECG interpretation, cardiac anatomy, vascular territories, and patient education around cardiac conditions.

Specialty
Cardiology & General Medicine
ECG Expertise
12-lead interpretation, PQRST, arrhythmia classification
Relevance
Patient education, clinical training, triage support
Format
Remote, concurrent think-aloud walkthrough

For this user session, we engaged a cardiologist as the main stakeholder for the HeartWise prototype. The expert is clinically familiar with ECG interpretation, heart anatomy, vascular territories, arrhythmias, and patient education around cardiac conditions.

Their expertise made them especially relevant because HeartWise is intended to translate heart rate and ECG-related information into clearer visual explanations for patients, clinicians, and medical learners.

The expert was able to evaluate the prototype from both a clinical and practical perspective: whether it would help patients understand cardiac problems, whether it could support doctors in explaining ECG-related findings, and what additional medical features would make the tool more accurate and useful.

Areas of clinical expertise

ECG Interpretation Heart Anatomy Vascular Territories Arrhythmia Classification Patient Education Cardiac Conditions 12-Lead ECG Triage
Section 02
Interaction Protocol

How the session was conducted

A semi-structured interview combined with a live prototype walkthrough, using a concurrent think-aloud approach so the expert could flag issues in real time.

01

Prototype Introduction

The session opened with a brief introduction to HeartWise: its purpose of converting ECG and heart-rate information into a more visual format using a 3D heart model and ECG-style display.

02

Think-Aloud Walkthrough

The expert reacted to the prototype while viewing it live a concurrent think-aloud approach. This allowed immediate identification of missing clinical details, such as ECG leads and vascular territories.

03

Open-Ended Questions

Questions were open-ended and exploratory appropriate because the prototype is in an early stage where qualitative feedback is more valuable than rigid usability tasks with fixed outcomes.

04

Remote Format

The session was conducted remotely via a screen-shared prototype walkthrough. This matched the realistic use context where HeartWise might be accessed on any device or network environment.

Questions asked during the session

Q1

Do you see this being useful in your day-to-day clinical work?

Q2

Could this help doctors explain cardiac issues to patients?

Q3

What features would make this more clinically useful?

Q4

What is missing from the current ECG visualization?

Q5

How could the prototype support diagnosis or interpretation better?

Section 03
Main Feedback Points

What the expert told us

Physicians often use physical heart models to explain blood supply and anatomy to patients. A digital version that combines heart anatomy, blood supply, electrical activity, and ECG interpretation in one visual tool could help patients, doctors, students, and researchers understand cardiac concepts more easily.
Validated
3D heart + ECG combination seen as genuinely useful for patient education and clinical explanation.
Gap Identified
Prototype shows only a single simplified ECG lead. Real interpretation requires all 12 leads.
Opportunity
Pairing with portable ECG input could make HeartWise highly valuable in low-resource settings.

12-Lead ECG Support

The current prototype is too limited clinically because it shows only a single or simplified ECG view. Real ECG interpretation requires all 12 leads Lead I, II, III, aVR, aVL, aVF, and V1–V6.

Critical Gap

Lead Selection & Labelling

The tool should show which ECG lead is currently displayed. The expert asked to see aVR specifically, which revealed the prototype does not yet support lead selection or lead-specific interpretation.

Design Gap

Automatic ECG Interpretation

The tool should provide automatic ECG interpretation indicating whether the ECG is normal or abnormal. This would be useful for cardiologists, general practitioners, and non-specialist doctors alike.

Feature Request

Vascular Territory Mapping

ECG findings should be mapped to anatomical regions and vascular territories. If a certain heart area is affected, the prototype should show which vascular territory is involved making the connection visual and immediate.

Enhancement

Arrhythmia Detection

The tool should eventually identify different types of arrhythmias not just general heart attack risk or heart rate abnormalities. A differential diagnosis support feature would suggest possible conditions when ECG changes are present.

Future Feature

Remote & Low-Resource Access

Portable ECG devices exist, but network availability can be a problem in remote areas. HeartWise could be especially valuable for timely diagnosis in low-resource or rural settings where specialist access is limited.

Strategic Value
Section 04
Design Takeaways

What needs to change in the prototype

The biggest takeaway is that HeartWise has value as an educational visualization tool, but it needs more clinical depth to become useful in real medical workflows.

01
Technical
Implement 12-Lead ECG Visualization

Move beyond a simplified heart-rate display. Adding selectable leads Lead I, Lead II, Lead III, aVR, aVL, aVF, and V1–V6 would make the tool medically credible and useful for real clinical training and interpretation.

02
Design
Label the Active ECG Lead Clearly

The interface should always show which ECG lead is currently displayed. Clinicians interpret different leads differently, and each lead corresponds to a different anatomical view of the heart. Clarity here is non-negotiable.

03
Clinical
Connect ECG Changes to Heart Anatomy

The prototype should show which anatomical region or vascular territory is involved when an ECG change is present. This visual connection would support both patient education and clinician training in a way no static diagram can.

04
Clinical
Expand Interpretation with Transparency

Instead of only broad warnings like "heart attack risk," the tool should provide specific outputs: possible abnormality, affected region, and suggested differential diagnoses. But it must communicate uncertainty clearly and never overclaim diagnostic certainty.

05
Strategic
Design for Low-Resource and Remote Contexts

Pairing HeartWise with portable ECG input and offline or low-bandwidth functionality could make it meaningful for general practitioners and community health workers who need support before a cardiologist is available. This is a high-impact opportunity.

Section 05
Summary

The expert validated the core direction

Overall: HeartWise is on the right track.

The expert validated the core direction of HeartWise as a visual explanation tool for cardiac education. The 3D heart model and ECG display were seen as helpful especially for explaining anatomy, blood supply, and electrical activity to patients and learners.

However, the expert also made clear that the next version should include 12-lead ECG support, lead-specific labelling, clinical interpretation, vascular territory mapping, and arrhythmia detection. These changes would make the prototype more accurate, useful, and aligned with real clinical practice.

The session also revealed a strategic opportunity: pairing HeartWise with portable ECG input and offline functionality could make it a meaningful tool in low-resource or rural settings a context where the gap between available technology and specialist access is widest, and where the educational value of a well-designed visualization tool is greatest.

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