Overview
The ZEISS ATLAS 500 is a multimodal ocular surface analysis device used in ophthalmic clinical environments to examine the anterior segment of the eye. I owned the end-to-end user experience, including user research, interaction and production-ready UI design as well as UX evaluations, while collaborating closely with engineering, development, and product management. In addition, I improved the collaboration process between UX and development to enable clearer handovers and more effective implementation.
Role
Lead UX/UI Designer
Scope
User Research
UX Concept
UI Design
UX Evaluation
Requirements Engineering
UX Concept
UI Design
UX Evaluation
Requirements Engineering
Platform
Desktop (mouse/keyboard & touch)
Duration
~ 2 years
Team
Fully remote agile team, distributed across Europe, US, and Asia (PM, device engineer, QA, devs)
Tools
Figma
Azure DevOps
qualtrics
Miro
Microsoft 365
Azure DevOps
qualtrics
Miro
Microsoft 365
Medical Context
Designing medical software means working in clinical environments where complex data, safety requirements, and time pressure intersect. As patient volumes rise, interfaces must enable intuitive patient management, efficient exam acquisition, and accurate interpretation of diagnostic information – without disrupting established workflows. This allows healthcare professionals to spend less time navigating software and more time on patient care.
Safety is equally critical. Following usability engineering standards such as IEC 62366, interfaces must actively prevent use errors and make measurements transparent. This includes designing error-tolerant features and fail-safe mechanisms that help clinicians recover from mistakes.
Product
The ZEISS ATLAS 500, developed by Carl Zeiss Meditec AG in Jena, Germany, is a modern device for examining the anterior segment of the eye, combining placido-based corneal topography with a set of dry eye diagnostics such as meibography, ocular redness measurement, tear meniscus height, and tear film break-up time. This combination of acquisition modalities is particularly valuable, as dry eye (sicca syndrome) is one of the most common ocular conditions, affecting roughly one in four patients. As the successor to the ATLAS 9000, the device was designed to support clinical workflows that the older system could no longer handle.
Measuring head and workstation
Measuring head and workstation
UCD Approach
The ATLAS 500 was developed with a strong focus on usability and intuitive interaction. My work followed a user-centered design approach grounded in a clear understanding of the problem space and real clinical workflows. I explored the context of use in ophthalmology through qualitative expert interviews, contextual observations in clinics, and quantitative surveys to identify user needs, constraints, and pain points.
Usability and accessibility guided design decisions, supported by clear and consistent UX writing. Concepts were translated into high-fidelity interactive prototypes and iteratively validated through heuristic evaluations and usability tests to ensure alignment with user needs, clinical constraints, and ZEISS brand guidelines.
Previous model: ZEISS ATLAS 9000
Previous model: ZEISS ATLAS 9000
Competing device: OCULUS Pentacam
Refractive surgery (laser eye surgery)
Refractive surgery operating theatre
Interaction Design
The ATLAS 500 interface supports the full clinical workflow, from patient management and data acquisition to diagnostic analysis and reporting. Examination results such as images, metrics, and visualizations are integrated into a single workspace so clinicians can review and interpret findings without switching contexts and with reduced cognitive load. The software supports both touch interaction and traditional mouse and keyboard input, accommodating different clinical setups.
A key design decision was maintaining clinical context throughout the analysis process. Patient and exam information remain visible across analysis views, allowing clinicians to review multiple exams or compare both eyes without losing orientation. Keeping this context persistent reduces the risk of misinterpreting diagnostic results.
UI Design
Building on this interaction model, I created production ready UI designs using the ZEISS Beyond Design System and its component libraries, adapting components where clinical requirements demanded it.
The following examples show some selected analysis views that illustrate how diagnostic data is visualized and interpreted within the interface. They represent only a subset of the overall application, which includes many additional analysis screens as well as screens from other areas such as patient management and exam acquisition.
General Analysis Screen Structure
The analysis interface follows a consistent screen structure designed to maintain clinical context and support efficient navigation throughout the workflow. Elements such as primary navigation, patient information, exam metadata, and quick action controls remain persistent across all analysis views, while measurement content is displayed within the content and details panels.
Pupillometry Analysis
This view supports interpretation of pupil dynamics by combining exam verification with temporal and spatial visualizations. Clinicians can assess pupil behavior and review key metrics within a single analysis view.
Corneal Topography Analysis
This view enables comparative analysis of corneal shape by presenting multiple topography maps simultaneously. Clinicians can evaluate curvature, elevation, and refractive power patterns while accessing diagnostic indices within the same workspace.
Imaging Analysis (Ocular Redness Assessment)
This view supports structured grading of ocular redness by combining image-based inspection with standardized reference scales. Clinicians can evaluate conjunctival and limbal redness while documenting findings within the analysis process.
Meibography Analysis
This view supports evaluation of meibomian gland structure by combining guided interaction, image annotation, and standardized severity grading. Clinicians can mark gland regions and classify gland loss within a structured process.
Dry Eye Report
Dry eye is a multifactorial disease of the ocular surface that requires evaluation of multiple diagnostic parameters. This view consolidates findings from different exams into a structured report, enabling clinicians to review key indicators, compare results between both eyes, and derive a clinical assessment.
Collaboration
I worked closely with development, engineering, and product management in a distributed team across Europe, the US, and Asia. My role included defining functional and non-functional requirements, developing and prioritizing user stories, maintaining the backlog, and discussing solution options and trade-offs with product management and engineering to align design decisions with technical constraints.
Beyond design delivery, I improved the collaboration model between UX and development by clarifying ownership of user stories, defining how work moves into the software backlog, and establishing clearer handovers between design and implementation. I also supported the implementation phase by reviewing builds with the development team and ensuring that interaction and UI concepts were translated accurately into the product.
Conclusion
The ZEISS ATLAS 500 successfully passed summative user acceptance tests and is now used in clinical environments. As part of the ZEISS corneal refractive and cataract workflow, it provides diagnostic data for clinical decision-making and treatment planning while integrating seamlessly into the ZEISS Medical Ecosystem. The intuitive ZEISS interface design was recognized with the German Design Award 2022. Further product details are available on the official product website.
Corneal topography analysis
Dry eye report
Demo video of the interaction with the ZEISS ATLAS 500
