Overview Problem The Work Process Decisions Impact Plates
Noah Koshy
Designer · Sydney
Case № 03 Industry

Apple Foundation Program - Student

EmpathyHealth+ is an iPad app where physiotherapy students practise patient diagnosis on AI-simulated avatars, designed and built in three weeks and selected a year later to be presented to executives at UTS, RMIT and Apple.

RoleProduct Designer
Team5 people
Timeline
ROLES INCLUDEDIdeation, design, coding & storytelling narrative
Note to self
The working application live demo.
Play the video to hide the "Note to Self" sticky.
The sixty-second version
Problem
Develop a solution that improves both the educational experience and learning capabilities of students studying health-related degrees.
What I did
I created a solution alongside my team that combined a repeatable learning experience with an opportunity for self-reflection and learning.
Result
Achieved a highly successful result and was selected one year later to present to executives at UTS, RMIT and Apple, including the UTS Dean of Engineering & IT, RMIT's Deputy Vice Chancellor and Lisa Jackson, the former vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives at Apple.
1 of 30 students selected for this program's cohort
1 of 5 students provided a brief directly, by the UTS Graduate School of Health
Supporting my team
Mentoring and supporting a team member who missed a portion of the program
3 weeks
Represented the Apple Foundation Program @UTS one year later
↓ More details below if you want the reasoning.
§ 01

The Problem

Empathy is essential in patient care, but difficult for students to practise before they are with real patients.
"Allowing physiotherapy students to practise patient diagnosis on customisable AI-simulated avatars, and facilitating learning through repetition and reflective storytelling."
What I couldn't change
01 Three weeks to research, design and develop a working solution.
02 It had to be built in Apple's native environment, and fulfil the requirements set out by the Graduate School of Health.
03 A team brought together for the program across different disciplines and levels of study, where I was the only undergraduate student in the team.
§ 02

The Work

The finished app, EmpathyHealth+, running on iPad.
The Randomised Patient screen in EmpathyHealth+ on iPad, building a patient from attributes including age, personality, mood, familiarity with physiotherapy, communication skills and cultural background.
Plate 01. The Randomised Patient screen, building a patient from eight attributes, so that students can practise with a different scenario each time.
A consultation in EmpathyHealth+ with the AI patient avatar, with the conversation building up beside him.
Plate 02. The consultation, with an AI patient avatar built using Soul Machines and trained with its own personality, for students to practise diagnosing a realistic patient.
The Skill Breakdown screen: the patient scenario, the student's recorded reflection, and a score with feedback for nine skills.
Plate 03. The reflection, recorded after each consultation and broken down into feedback across targeted areas of focus or marking criteria.
§ 03

How I got there

From the big idea, to high-fidelity screens, to a working proof-of-concept application in three weeks.
Research board of interview questions and sticky-note findings, with three themes at the end: time, genuineness and willingness to return.
Fig. a — what the interviews told us.
Dead end
The first challenge statement. The interviews refined it into Teaching Patient Centred Problem Solving.
The team working through findings with sticky notes and whiteboards, alongside a mentor.
Fig. b — synthesising the findings, where the challenge changed.
Low-fidelity paper sketches: progress tracking, the dashboard, attempting a scenario with an avatar, peer and tutor feedback, and reflective storytelling with an assessment rubric.
Fig. c — low-fidelity sketches.
User story, “As a physio student I want to practice real-world scenarios”, beside four high-fidelity screens: the home menu, creating an assessment task, meeting the next patient and the patient video call.
Fig. d — from user story to high-fidelity screens.
Kept
Empathy, from the big idea through to the final app.
…then it was built in Xcode.
Keep scrolling — the wall moves sideways
§ 04 — Decisions & trade-offs

Empathy is not taught, it's felt.

Each decision came back to what the interviews told us.
01
/ 03
Decision 01

Practising with an AI patient avatar

Chose
Integrated a Soul Machines AI avatar, trained with a unique personality, for students to practise diagnosis on.
Gave up
A text-based scenario, which would have been simpler to build within the three weeks.
Why
If empathy is felt rather than taught, students needed to practise with something that responds like a real patient.
Decision 02

Allowing for a randomised patient for every scenario

Chose
A Randomised Patient generator, combining attributes such as age, personality, mood, communication skills and cultural background.
Gave up
Implementing equal levels of functionality for all features within the timeframe, to explore some ideas further.
Why
Outside of assessments, no two patients are the same, so students needed to practise adapting to the person in front of them.
Decision 03

A recorded reflection after every scenario

Chose
A video reflection after each consultation, automatically transcribed and turned into a skill breakdown and progress tracking.
Gave up
A shorter experience that ends when the consultation does.
Why
Reflective storytelling supports growth over time by helping students identify their own weaknesses and challenges, and gives tutors something to assess against the rubric.
§ 05

Impact & what I'd change

A year later (Nov 25), the project was still being presented on behalf of the Apple Foundation Program @UTS.
Looking back

One year later, our team was selected to present the project on behalf of the Apple Foundation Program @UTS, to executives at UTS, RMIT and Apple, including the Dean of Engineering & IT, RMIT's Deputy Vice Chancellor and Lisa Jackson, the former vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives at Apple. With more time, I would have tested the avatar with physiotherapy students before the final presentation.

— Noah
Product Designer · Apple Affiliated Program Sole Undergraduate Provided with a Project Brief Figma, Xcode, Soul Machines
§ 06

Plates

Three weeks at the Apple Foundation Program, from the first workshop to Graduation Day.
Graduation Day for the UTS Startups Cohort, 27 November 2024: the team, the cohort, and Noah holding his certificate.
Graduation Day, 27 November 2024.
Polaroid photos of the team pinned to a wall, labelled Indra, Chris, Noah, Mika and Victoria.
The Team.
The team presenting EmpathyHealth+, with the Our Solution and Product Team slides, and demonstrating the AI avatar on iPads.
Presenting EmpathyHealth+ to industry guests, Apple representatives and alumni.
The team working around a table with laptops, notebooks and sticky notes.
Working Session.
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Case № 04 →
Apple Foundation Program - Mentor
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© Noah Koshy, 2022-2026.
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