Designing Interactive 3D Tools to Support Surgical and Patient Education

CHALLENGE

Toronto Video Atlas of Surgery

WHAT I DID

Surgeons and Patients

OUTCOME

Healthcare

ROLE

TIMELINE

TEAM

DETAILED PROJECT BREAKDOWN

I created an interactive 3D anatomy tool that improved surgical education and helped surgeons explain procedures more clearly

As a design and development intern, I built a Unity-based, web module integrated into the Toronto Video Atlas of Surgery. It enabled more precise learning and better patient conversations through manipulable, high-resolution anatomical models.

Existing tools made it hard for trainees and patients to understand anatomy

Medical students, surgical fellows, and patients often struggled to interpret complex 2D or static 3D anatomical representations. Surgeons needed better visual tools to support both teaching and communication.

I led UX research, prototyping, and Unity development for the interactive module

At TVASurg, I spoke with surgeons to uncover specific learning and communication challenges. I translated these insights into low- and high-fidelity designs, then built the full experience using Unity.

I validated concepts with surgeons to ensure clarity and utility

Through feedback loops with surgical educators, I refined interaction patterns and the structure manipulation interface to support both education and explanatory needs.

I prioritized smooth integration with existing tools and platform standards

The module was designed to complement the Atlas’s existing video library, allowing seamless transitions between visual modes. I optimized it for performance, anatomical fidelity, and instructional clarity.