# Transforming a complex health platform into a human-first digital experience > Source: https://layers.studio/work/atlas Designing clearer, warmer health testing that’s easier to act on. **Year:** 2026 **Client:** My Atlas **Industry:** Health **What We Delivered:** UX, UI, Web ## Introduction Atlas is a proactive health service that helps people understand their bodies through clinic appointments or at-home testing, supported by GPs and accredited laboratory partners. The service offers a wide range of clinical tests and biomarker reports, paired with fast turnaround times and expert follow-up. The goal is simple but ambitious: give people clear, clinically grounded insights they can actually act on, without needing a medical background to interpret the results. ## Challenge When we first reviewed the Atlas brand and website, there was a clear disconnect between what the service delivers and how it was presented. Visually, the brand leaned heavily towards a futuristic, tech-led aesthetic. While this hinted at innovation, it unintentionally masked the more important truth: Atlas is a human-centred, lifestyle health service, grounded in clinical expertise and personal support. The experience felt colder and more complex than the service itself. From a product perspective, the challenge was even clearer. Tests and biomarker information were scattered and highly clinical. Users struggled to understand: - Where to start - How different tests related to one another - How biomarkers connected to personal health goals The brief was twofold:
humanise the brand and rebuild the information architecture so people could confidently choose the right tests and make sense of their results without friction or confusion. ## Discovery We started with a discovery phase focused on information architecture, taxonomy and user mental models. Working closely with the Atlas team, we audited the full catalogue of tests and biomarkers. Rather than organising content by internal or clinical logic, we regrouped everything into user-facing health areas, allowing people to browse by intent and outcome (such as metabolic health, sports performance or hormone balance) instead of scanning long, technical lists. This work directly informed a new “Find your test” journey, designed for people who aren’t sure what they need yet. Strategic CTAs, decision points and content cues guide users toward meaningful recommendations quickly, without overwhelming them with medical detail. ## UX We translated the new information architecture into clear, low-friction user journeys that support users from discovery through to results interpretation. We designed and iterated on lo-fi and hi-fi wireframes and interactive prototypes for key flows, including: - Find-your-test - Test detail pages - Checkout - Results and biomarker interpretation These flows were tested with representative users, allowing us to refine language, CTA placement, hierarchy and error states until comprehension and task success improved. We also defined consistent content patterns for biomarker explanations, ensuring complex clinical outputs are broken down into: Plain-language insights Clear next steps Recommended follow-ups, with signposting to GP support where appropriate This structure makes results feel informative and reassuring rather than intimidating. ## UI The UI deliverables focused on humanising the brand without undermining clinical credibility. We refreshed the visual system across colour, typography, imagery, iconography and component design, shifting the tone from overly tech-driven to friendly, expert and lifestyle-oriented. A flexible component library and page templates were created to ensure consistency while supporting future growth. The result is a visual identity that feels modern and trustworthy, but also warm and accessible, reflecting the real Atlas experience. ## Development We delivered a fully bespoke WordPress build using a custom theme powered by Vite and Tailwind, enabling rapid development, scalable components, and a modern front end architecture. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) and custom plugins were implemented to provide structured, flexible CMS templates for managing tests, health markers, and results content. A complete e-commerce flow was engineered, including a bespoke booking journey supporting both nationwide clinic appointments and HQ bookings, alongside add-ons and secure payment integration. The platform was designed to be editor-friendly, allowing the Atlas team to create, update, and reclassify tests without developer intervention. Performance, privacy, and maintainability were prioritised throughout, with responsive UI patterns, staging and QA workflows, HTTPS security, and GDPR-compliant consent handling tailored for health-related data. ## Result While performance metrics are still being gathered, the launch marked a clear step-change. The platform now feels modern, approachable and human-first. The brand no longer reads as cold or overly technical, and the service is easier to understand at a glance. Most importantly, the reworked information architecture allows users to find the right tests by goal rather than clinical jargon, significantly reducing friction and uncertainty in the decision-making process. ## Why It Matters By aligning brand, content and information architecture with real user mental models, Atlas now meets people where they are, whether they’re beginning their first health deep-dive or tracking specific biomarkers over time. The clearer taxonomy and guided discovery reduce decision fatigue, increase confidence in ordering tests and make clinical follow-up more actionable. From a business perspective, this creates a platform that’s easier to scale: onboarding new users is simpler, clinician partnerships are better supported, and complex health data is presented in a way people can genuinely use. For Atlas, this is a foundation for long-term trust, growth and impact. > I couldn’t have chosen a better team for the project. > With previous developers missing the briefing and proposing very ‘inhuman’ models, thank you guys for getting the brief so spot on. 🙏 Holly Devine, Founder & Director @ Atlas