It might have come as a surprise to hear Apple CEO Tim Cook’s recent statement on his hopes for the company—mainly, that revolutionary health tech would become its legacy. This is the same brand that, so far, has overhauled the ways we all listen to music and use cell phones. Could they really aspire to the same for health and wellness?
If you’ve heard about Apple’s groundbreaking new health features, of course, you’re probably inclined to see Cook’s point. These tools are about more than measuring fitness or vital signs: one of the most fascinating, the Hearing Aid feature, integrates exactly that—a hearing aid—into the Apple AirPods Pro 2. The new product’s launch was marked by a poignant holiday-themed TV ad, “Heartstrings,” effectively staking Apple’s claim.
Of course, Apple chose an area with plenty of competition—which demonstrates how digital products focused on health and wellness have become more mainstream, from Whoop to the Oura Ring to Google’s Fitbit. The growing possibilities aren’t limited to wearable tech: telehealth options for medical needs and online portals for health information are a few other tools that have become widely used.
This real-world example shows how great design and accessibility improve user experiences and attract people. Intuitive interfaces, seamless integrations, and accessible design make digital engagement more effective and user-friendly, building trust. Below are examples of digital health products that enhance wellness and offer lessons for creatives and designers.
Giving Wearable Tech Greater Capabilities
While there is already an impressive scope of wearable products that gauge health metrics—including Google’s new Pixel Watch, which ties into Fitbit—Apple Health and Fitness Plus, according to CNET, are gradually becoming services that don’t require an Apple Watch at all.
That means inviting a broader range of people to engage with these kinds of services, rather than limiting audiences to health and wellness enthusiasts. Consider that Apple’s new Hearing Aid feature is connected with a Hearing Test which, once taken, gives users a hearing profile that helps personalize their experience with the AirPods Hearing Aid. And even people who have minimal to no hearing loss can still use it to make adjustments using Media Assist, a feature that “helps boost certain parts of speech on a phone call or instruments within a soundtrack.”
Apple introduced a Breathing Disturbances metric to detect sleep interruptions and track potential signs of sleep apnea. While Whoop and Oura Ring track sleep quality and recovery, using these metrics for diagnosis is relatively new. Integrated into Apple’s Health system, these tools suggest more cohesive systems for daily health monitoring.
Streamlining Connections with Healthcare Providers
When it’s time to bring such metrics to a doctor or healthcare provider, doing so by making a telehealth appointment is an option that digital advancements have made widely accessible. Telehealth is now relatively commonplace, be it through urgent care centers like Patient First, major hospital systems, or mental health-focused companies like BetterHelp.
And few would argue against that being a positive development. In fact, a recent study published in JAMA Network Open found that patients with acute conditions who seek care via telehealth are more likely to make follow-up appointments than those who initially seek in-person care.
Remote monitoring is expanding, enabling doctors and practitioners to provide more proactive and individualized care beyond traditional settings. And in recent months, its results have proven incredibly promising. UMass Memorial Harrington reported a 50% decrease in readmissions since launching a remote monitoring program (RMP) for chronic heart failure patients. And in 2024, UC Davis Medical Center’s expansion of remote monitoring capabilities meant they could help manage care of hypertension, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and post-angioplasty patients—demonstrating that RMPs are highly scalable and can include a diverse range of conditions. According to the VNA, patients who use remote monitoring show an 84% daily adherence rate to their care plans.
This highlights how digital tools can make health and wellness more accessible and transform other industries. If these products help patients stay consistent and simplify healthcare, they’re already making a strong impact. And if a side effect is improved trust in physicians and providers, that’s all the more promising.
Digital Health and Wellness in Everyday Care
Looking to the future of digital health and wellness products, it’s highly likely that the integration of AI will continue to be a major factor. Machine learning is already central to recent innovations in wearable tech, demonstrating how AI makes new levels of personalization possible in digital health and wellness.
When it comes to medicine and healthcare management, AI-driven informatics can mean cost and time savings for practitioners. Predictive care models and research and analytics have also experienced improvements thanks to the use of AI, improving the specificity and expediency of preventative care for all kinds of people. Moving forward, these trends are likely to have the ripple effect of inspiring more user-friendly digital interfaces that encourage seamless engagement and daily usage. Digital products that enable better health and wellness empowers people to participate in their own well-being. The positive impact of that, from better disease prevention to less strain on health and wellness professionals, could lead to pushing the boundaries of digital health in the future.
Intelligent Design
Intelligent digital design can do a great deal to alleviate those burdens in a way that’s both humane and innovative. Perhaps Eleni Linos, MD, DrPH, of the Stanford Center for Digital Health phrased it best in a recent episode of Stanford Engineering’s podcast The Future of Everything: “The future of digital health is health. I think we will reach a point in the future where we won’t need to necessarily differentiate digital health—I think we’re moving in this direction where digital health really covers all of health.”