Designing virtual simulations for pharmacy education
A scenario-based educational module for students to learn about the different roles of pharmacy professionals.
My Role
UX/UI Designer,
HTML/CSS/C# Developer
Tools
Figma, Unity, Blender,
Davinci Resolve, Github
Timeline
4 months
Client
Leslie Dan Faculty of
Pharmacy, UofT
What did I work on?
I was the sole UX Designer and Developer on an education project funded by eCampus Ontario, aimed at inspiring students from grades 7–12 to explore careers in pharmacy. I designed, developed, and tested three interactive, case-based simulations that introduce students to the breadth of pharmacy practice through virtual scenarios.
Outcome
Today, these modules have reached 300+ students across multiple institutions in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), been adopted by the Ontario College of Pharmacists for professional development, integrated into STEM Fellowship programs, and are extensively used in PharmPath's student outreach initiatives.
My process
Here is how the project came together over the course of 4 months.
Planning the design and development was an interesting challenge, especially with the added time needed for building out the scenarios.
The current experience
The team's existing eLearning resources fall short in providing interactive opportunities for students to explore careers in pharmacy.
At the beginning of the project, I reviewed feedback from a post-module survey completed by 30 students. I wanted to understand some of the common pain points that students experienced with the existing eLearning modules.
Modules are too text-heavy
The modules were mainly text-based and students mentioned that the uninterrupted dialogue text makes it difficult to stay engaged.
Visuals are repetitive and oversimplified
The static illustrations lacked the details needed to capture actual pharmacy settings or patient interactions. Students mentioned having a harder time connecting what they were learning to real-world situations.
Secondary research
Next, I defined guiding UX principles for creating effective eLearning modules.
I researched instructional design best practices and conducted an audit of existing healthcare eLearning tools to establish core design principles. These principles helped shape how I approached this project.
Cater to different learning styles
Use a mix of text, audio, video, and images to cater to different learning styles and foster deeper understanding.
Create interactive learning experiences
Use interactive elements like quizzes, interactive diagrams, and multi media to keep learners actively engaged.
Controls should be intuitive
Learners should be able to easily navigate and control their learning path throughout the module.
Reinforce active recall and memory
Include prompts and cues throughout and at the end of modules to help learners review key concepts.
Concept exploration
With these principles in mind, I began exploring different design concepts.
Why I choose 3D animation:
Planning the workflow
What tools and technology would best bring this experience to life?
I began to explore and compare different workflows: I wanted to find a workflow that was not only technically feasible but also flexible enough to support both animation and interactivity.
After comparing a few different options, I landed on a workflow that included:
Blender for 3D modeling and animation
Unity (C#) for building game-like scenarios
DaVinci Resolve* for post-production and video editing.
*
DaVinci Resolve wasn’t part of the original plan! Early into implementation phase, I realized DaVinci Resolve offered more advanced capabilities, particularly better closed captioning integration with Unity, so I pivoted mid-way from video editing in Blender to DaVinci.
Pitching the approach
I created a short 15-sec “Room tour” demo to demonstrate the capabilities of this technology.
Despite it being very short, this demo allowed me to:
demonstrate the technical feasibility of using Unity and Blender for creating immersive and interactive modules
show how the experience could support different learning styles through animation and quizzes
My team saw strong potential in my proposed approach and were fully supportive of moving it forward.
Collaborating with subject matter experts
Then, I facilitated design review sessions and consulted with pharmacy professionals to ensure accuracy and authenticity.
Damilola (RPH): “Alright. Do you mind waiting around the pharmacy for 15 minutes? We just want to make sure that you are not experiencing any allergy reactions before you leave.”
First, I reviewed the scenario scripts written by pharmacy professionals to clarify any knowledge gaps.
Based on the scripts, I sketched storyboards to visualize the animation and camera movements.
I created mid-fi prototypes, designing for a simple interface so students can navigate without complexity.
I visualized the information flow based on insights and input from educators and pharmacy professionals.
I created these diagrams using detailed case studies developed by pharmacy professionals and educators from across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), inspired by real patient scenarios.
Bringing it to life *｡⋆
Building 3D animation scenes
I wanted each scene to feel interesting and immersive, so I animated facial expressions, body language, and choreographed camera movements to bring the characters to life.
Developing the UI
Coding the interface on Unity
I also used Visual Studio Code to develop gamification elements, including:
interactive UI screens
video pause/play controls
responsive menus
Usability testing
I advocated strongly for iterative design.
The project originally planned for a single beta test 2 weeks before launch. I advocated for incorporating feedback earlier and more frequently, emphasizing that this approach would lead to a stronger user experience.
This led to conducting the first usability test on the first prototype, followed by a round of testing after each major iteration.
Each round included:
2–3 live think-aloud sessions
5–8 asynchronous tests followed by a questionnaire
We tested with non-pharmacy students to assess how well the module communicated to users without pharmaceutical backgrounds.
My objectives for usability testing:
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Can users navigate the module easily and understand how to interact with key features?
?
?
Are there any points where users feel confused, distracted, or disengaged?
?
Do users find the module intellectually and visually engaging?
Key finding
Reduce the pressure to learn
Problem: Some participants mentioned feeling overwhelmed by frequent mid-scenario quizzes. They struggled to answer and often guessed the answers. This often left them feeling confused and disengaged from the learning material.
Iteration: I replaced these with informational checkpoints and moved some quizzes to the end as knowledge checks.
Testing: In the following round, participants felt that the checkpoints provided valuable context without added pressure of answering correctly.
“These mini breaks allowed for me to "digest" the information provided to me and follow more closely along the interaction.”
"I appreciated the "did you know" sections that highlighted the scope of RPhT and RPh. It was well placed within the module and I felt as though it reinforced that information that was being presented to me within the interaction."
Before: Participants felt overwhelmed and confused by frequent quiz interruptions
After: More contextual checkpoints and majority of quizzes are moved to the end.
New addition: I included "patient profiles" for context and to build empathy.
New addition: Case profiles to introduce characters in the scenario.
Key finding
Build connection with context
Problem: Some users were confused due to the lack of context about the relationship between patients and the pharmacy, especially when scenarios referenced past interactions between the patient and a pharmacy staff.
“I felt as though it would be helpful to know more about Wyatt [the patient]…it would be nice to have an idea of how he got to know her [pharmacist] since she first asked this question.”
Iteration: To address this issue, I included "Patient Profiles" at the start of each scenario. These profiles include information about the patients' history with the pharmacy, their medical records, and characteristics relevant to the scenario.
Testing: In the next round of testing, users expressed that the addition of medical details, personal details, and the patients' preferred pronouns in character profiles added realism and helped bring the characters to life, and to help foster a greater understanding and empathy with the patients.
Key finding
Allow learners to customize the pace
“The speed of the speech felt too slow and it was hard to concentrate.”
Problem: Many participants found the speech speed was as too slow, which sometimes made it hard to concentrate on the learning material.
Iteration: To address this, I implemented a “quick win” feature allowing users to adjust the audio playback speed, including a 2x speed option. This modification allowed users to customize the experience to their preference and maintain better focus and engagement.
Testing: Users appreciated the ability to fast-forward on scenarios, and the “replay” option allowed them to rewatch in the case they missed something.
New addition: I implemented a 2x speed functionality and “Skip scene” feature
New addition: I included lightbulb-style pop-outs to define terms.
New addition: Other pop-outs provide additional context beyond the script.
Key finding
Guide users with contextual cues
Problem: Participants unfamiliar with pharmacy or medical terminology often found parts of the pharmacist dialogue unclear.
Iteration: To address this, we added lightbulb-style pop-outs throughout the scenarios to define terms, clarify concepts, and provide additional context beyond the script to helps learners stay oriented without disrupting the flow of the experience.
Testing: In the next round of usability testing, participants appreciated the pop-outs as it gave them additional context and information.
“I really liked when there was a small light bulb pop-up that provided additional information. This information was actually something that I didn't know before, so it was really helpful. It also made the module more engaging by adding something different every once in a while.”
Immersive, scenario-based learning
Students explore realistic pharmacy scenarios that mirror real-world patient interactions.
Every module includes closed captioning to ensure accessibility and support diverse learning styles.
Flexible, self-paced video controls
Students can pause, replay, or speed up videos to match their individual learning pace and comfort level.
Contextual learning prompts
Relevant tips appear within the scenarios to clarify clinical concepts, reinforce knowledge, and support memory retention.
These prompts also address common misunderstandings about the pharmacy practice.
Active learning through interactive checkpoints
Interactive decision points encourage students to engage with the material and test their understanding throughout the module.
© Photos by Reg Good
Impact
In March 2024, over 40 students who completed the modules expressed interest in participating in an experiential learning event hosted by UofT.
In partnership with STEM Fellowship, the completed simulations were hosted in a virtual classroom for high school students in the GTA to access anywhere.
The online modules inspired a group of students to explore further through an immersive in-person experience at UofT. Students engaged in hands-on lab activities and practiced clinical decision-making in patient simulations.
Due to high demand and interest from students who completed the eLearning modules, the event was held again in March 2025.
As of May 2025, the simulations have reaching 300+ students across multiple institutions in the GTA.
They have been used in STEM Fellowship programs, UofT undergraduate pharmacy courses, within the PharmPath program, and also by the Ontario College of Pharmacists in one of their online training programs.
The team invited me back to design and develop an second set of simulations using a similar approach.
Reflection
What I've learned, and how I've grown.
01/ Take risks! But go in with a game plan.
I'm proud of myself for taking a risk! I pitched the idea because I knew it could be extremely impactful, though part of me was intimidated by the thought of creating it - I’ve never animated anything prior to this and never coded with C#. Yet somehow I figured it out along the way, with *endless* self-learning, and made it happen. One of the most memorable moments was when a student at the event came up to me and said the modules helped spark their interest in a pharmacy career. That's when I knew the risk was worth it.
02/ Always advocate for the user
I learned the value of testing early, and to advocate for it. What this case study didn’t cover is the sheer amount of student feedback we got about the content itself: what parts of the dialogue students felt were confusing, terminology that was not clearly explained, and confusion around how some pharmaceutical processes were presented in the scenarios. Sharing this with my team, who were pharmacy professionals unfamiliar with UX processes, helped show how essential student feedback is to improving the learning experience.
Explore my other work
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