Master thesis
Development of a digital intersection for cardiology treatments and diagnoses
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One of the most common causes of death in Europe is cardiovascular disease. The number of deaths caused by ischemic heart disease (e.g. a heart attack) in the European Union amounted to around 551,000 in 2020 (Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis), 2025). Current methods for diagnosing heart disease, such as long-term ECGs, are outdated and require a great deal of manual effort. The aim of this master's thesis is to develop and evaluate a user-centered digital interface to support cardiological treatments and diagnoses. Specifically, the requirements for the processing and visualization of cardiac data from smartwatches were investigated in order to support and optimize their evidence-based use in cardiology consultations from the perspective of medical specialists. In the present study, a research through design approach was pursued. A clickable prototype of a computer program (design artefact) was created based on the findings collected for the development of the digital interface. The methodology within the study focused on expert interviews, user tests with the created design artefact and its evaluation through a user experience review. A total of six people were involved in the evaluation of the digital interface - including four specialists working in the field of UX design and two experts from the field of cardiology. The findings derived from the evaluations are promising. The concept and its user- friendliness were predominantly rated positively. Several potential areas for content optimization were identified, which mainly focused on additional functions and adjustments. Nevertheless, further studies with a larger number of experts are required to enable sufficient validation of the digital interface for future clinical integration. Legal limitations must also be taken into account.
Keywords: Cardiovascular disease, Telemedicine, UX-Design, Digital interface, Smartwatches, Cardiology, Research through Design
