Stepladder

Stepladder is a UX design firm focused exclusively on medical technology products and healthcare applications. Founded by Jeff White, a UX design pioneer with over 20 years of experience including work on Amazon's Kindle for iOS, the company provides end-to-end user experience services from research through implementation for medtech companies ranging from startups to established industry leaders.

The firm specializes in designing medical devices, clinical applications, and healthcare software with particular emphasis on FDA clearance processes and regulatory compliance. Their service offerings span user research, usability testing, product strategy, UX/UI design, and prototyping. The team works across clinical trial recruitment platforms, asthma management solutions, and other medical applications where poor user experience can directly impact patient outcomes and care delivery.

Stepladder positions itself as understanding the unique constraints of medical technology development, including regulatory requirements and the high stakes of healthcare applications. Client testimonials reference the team as expert collaborators who consistently deliver high-quality work, with one long-term client referring to them as the "fire department" for platform issues requiring expert input.

Choose Stepladder when developing medical technology products where user experience directly impacts clinical efficacy, patient safety, or regulatory approval. The firm is particularly suited for organizations navigating FDA clearance processes or designing for complex clinical workflows that require domain expertise beyond standard UX practice.

Clients should expect a collaborative, iterative design process with emphasis on user research and usability testing. The team's experience spans consumer health apps to sophisticated clinical tools, making them adaptable to different complexity levels while maintaining focus on healthcare-specific requirements and outcomes measurement.

Stepladder operates exclusively in the healthcare sector with particular concentration on medical devices and clinical applications. The firm's healthcare specialization extends to understanding clinical trial recruitment challenges, chronic disease management workflows, and the intersection of regulatory requirements with user experience design. Their approach emphasizes that healthcare UX failures can compromise care delivery and patient outcomes, not just business metrics.

The team works across multiple healthcare verticals including diagnostic tools, patient management platforms, and medical devices requiring FDA clearance. They specifically address challenges unique to healthcare such as designing for both clinician efficiency and patient outcomes simultaneously.

Medical device companies, digital health startups, and healthcare technology firms developing regulated products or clinical software solutions. Organizations that recognize poor UX in healthcare has consequences beyond business metrics and need design partners who understand clinical environments, regulatory pathways, and the complexity of healthcare stakeholder needs.