GE Coronary CT Angiography VR Training

Commissioned by GE Healthcare due to challenges with hands-on CTCA training availability in the UK. Designed to reduce reliance on in-person sessions and alleviate bottlenecks in scanner utilization.

Role

VR UX Designer / Producer

Target Hardware

HTC Vive Pro, Samsung Odyssey

Industries

Medical Imaging / Radiology

Date

Feb 2018 - Dec 2018

Problem

  • Limited national availability of cardiac CT scanners and expert trainers.

  • Radiographer training relied heavily on downtime of expensive hospital equipment.

  • Need for a repeatable, immersive experience that mirrored clinical fidelity and procedural sequencing.

  • Client’s existing training offerings were static, non-interactive, and lacked learner autonomy pathways.

My Role

Pitch Ownership: Supported the initial pitch phase, helping secure GE as a client through early design input and stakeholder presentation.


Product Strategy: Initiated and led shift to a Time & Materials model, ensuring Scrum adaptability.


Design Leadership:

  • Co-created the Learn vs. Practice mode structure.

  • Developed all user flows, authored the full content/interaction master, and led VO design and implementation.


Team Coordination:

  • Ran all sprints, reviews, and retrospectives: aligned dev, 3D, audio, and QA teams.

  • Acted as the single point of contact for both Immerse internal teams and GE stakeholders.

Process

Discovery & Research:

  • Consulted with radiographers, SMEs at Royal Brompton Hospital, and the Society of Cardiovascular CT.

  • Analyzed GE's internal procedural specs to map clinical stages to simulation modules.


Design Framework:

  • Built a 3-chapter modular training structure:

    • Vitals & Questionnaire.

    • Patient Prep.

    • Contrast & Scan Execution.

  • Authored all UX flows and tool interactions in a production-ready master flow spreadsheet.


Prototyping & Development:

  • Created snap-guided interfaces, spatial interaction mechanics, and VO instruction layers.

  • Introduced guided vs. semi-guided logic to simulate learner progression.


Scrum Implementation:

  • Oversaw daily standups, the backlog, sprint demos, and milestone review sessions. Wrote client-facing release notes to support every sprint-release.

  • Transitioned the project midstream from a fixed-scope model to a Scrum-based, time-and-materials billing approach, shifting ownership to the client in response to evolving specifications and the continuous emergence of new information.

Solution

VR Simulation Architecture:

  • Built in Unity on the Immerse SDK.

  • Fidelity-accurate scan room with animated patient models, voice-over guidance, and interactive tools.

  • Learn Mode: Fully guided overlay experience with VO, snap cues, and real-time feedback.

  • Practice Mode: Lightly scaffolded environment with reduced hints, error prompts, and progressive autonomy.


Clinical Scenarios:

  • Simulated patient variants for the MVP roster included both a textbook baseline and a high heart rate case.

  • Incorporated simulated communication, ECG lead placement, contrast injection, and scan acquisition.


UX/UI Decisions:

  • Simplified navigation via VR watch menu, triggered via a 'look at watch' gesture.

  • Co-designed UI assets and panels, including CT scan controls and diagnostic panels.

Outcome

Impact:

  • Beta tested across NHS hospitals: users praised realism and onboarding clarity.

  • Described by radiographers as feeling “right at home.”

  • Finalist at VR Awards 2019.

  • Showcased at RSNA 2018 and major international cardiovascular imaging conferences in 2019 and 2025.


Business Results:

  • Helped GE scale CTCA training and increased demand for CT systems and contrast dye sales.

  • Validated immersive training as a credible substitute for some portions of hands-on learning.


Reuse:

  • Core Learn/Practice architecture was reused across future Immerse health training products.

Reflection

Key Wins:

  • Successfully bridged product strategy and immersive UX to meet clinical and commercial goals.

  • Built a robust design that mapped complex procedural knowledge into intuitive spatial interaction.

  • Delivered under high constraint (budget, fidelity, hardware performance).


Challenges:

  • Balanced subject matter complexity with usability for first-time VR users.


Personal Growth:

  • Deepened leadership in immersive interaction design and cross-disciplinary execution.

  • Proved value in aligning stakeholder goals, clinical accuracy, and user-centered design within a VR context.