Teaching an AI to care like a human
How Hinge Health transformed a collection of digital health products into a unified, AI enabled care ecosystem.
Hinge Health is a leader in digital musculoskeletal care, combining therapy, connected hardware, and clinical support to help millions move pain free. As the platform grew, its experience became fragmented across therapy, TENS relief, breathing, and rewards, creating friction throughout the care journey. Hinge Health partnered with us to define a unified care platform anchored by Robin, its emerging AI assistant. Beyond redesigning the product, we established a shared experience vision, aligned teams around a common care model, and laid the foundation for AI to become a trusted extension of the clinical team. The goal was to create a more connected, scalable, and human centered approach to digital care.
Hinge Health is a leader in digital musculoskeletal care, combining therapy, connected hardware, and clinical support to help millions move pain free. As the platform grew, its experience became fragmented across therapy, TENS relief, breathing, and rewards, creating friction throughout the care journey. Hinge Health partnered with us to define a unified care platform anchored by Robin, its emerging AI assistant. Beyond redesigning the product, we established a shared experience vision, aligned teams around a common care model, and laid the foundation for AI to become a trusted extension of the clinical team. The goal was to create a more connected, scalable, and human centered approach to digital care.
Hinge app
Specialized care, built around you
Exercises are designed by physical therapists and adapt as your pain or symptoms change.
Breathe
Calm and reset with Treatment Experiences
Personified Health
Personified Health
When winning feels broken: the design reality check
Hinge Health had achieved strong growth, clinical credibility, and member adoption. As the platform expanded, the experience became fragmented across products and care moments. Members no longer experienced a unified journey, but a series of disconnected touchpoints.
Robin, the company’s emerging AI assistant, remained isolated from the moments where it could create the most value. We saw an opportunity to reposition AI as an extension of the care team, creating continuity across the member journey and helping people stay connected to their care plans.
Holistic care journey
Holistic care journey
Meet Robin: The AI that actually cares
Robin wasn’t just another feature, but a signal of where Hinge Health’s care experience needed to evolve. We designed toward a unified, human-centered AI ecosystem where Robin acts as the connective layer across exercise therapy, pain relief, education, and progress tracking. Research and concept validation showed that trust in AI is built less on intelligence alone and more on consistency, tone, and empathy, requiring a clear behavioral model that balances clinical credibility with emotional support. As a result, we transformed Robin from a reactive chatbot into a proactive care companion that guides, motivates, and contextualizes care across the member journey, creating a more continuous experience where clinical expertise and intelligent support work together when members need it most.
Robin wasn’t just another feature, but a signal of where Hinge Health’s care experience needed to evolve. We designed toward a unified, human-centered AI ecosystem where Robin acts as the connective layer across exercise therapy, pain relief, education, and progress tracking. Research and concept validation showed that trust in AI is built less on intelligence alone and more on consistency, tone, and empathy, requiring a clear behavioral model that balances clinical credibility with emotional support. As a result, we transformed Robin from a reactive chatbot into a proactive care companion that guides, motivates, and contextualizes care across the member journey, creating a more continuous experience where clinical expertise and intelligent support work together when members need it most.
Designing the AI care model:How Robin learned to listen, think, speak, and write
01
Listening
Robin continuously interprets signals from motion tracking, engagement patterns, and member feedback to understand context and intent. By observing behavior rather than waiting for requests, it becomes a more responsive and proactive partner in care.
02
Thinking
Robin translates those signals into personalized recommendations, dynamically adapting support to each member's progress, goals, and motivation levels. Care plans evolve alongside the individual rather than remaining static over time.
03
Speaking
Robin communicates through contextual and empathetic interactions that build confidence and trust. Its role is not to replace clinicians but to extend care between sessions, while seamlessly connecting members to practitioners and specialists when human expertise is required.
03
Writing
Robin creates continuity across the care journey by documenting progress, summarizing milestones, and sharing insights with both members and care teams. This ensures every interaction contributes to a more complete understanding of each person's health journey. Its presence is intentionally ambient: always aware, never intrusive.
Building a designsystem that thinks
To scale Robin across the ecosystem, we established a behavioral design framework defining how AI appears, responds, and adapts across the experience. It went beyond visual consistency to set principles for transparency, trust, escalation, and personalization. Core behaviors such as listening, suggesting, coaching, and celebrating were translated into reusable interaction patterns with clear rules.
To scale Robin across the ecosystem, we established a behavioral design framework defining how AI appears, responds, and adapts across the experience. It went beyond visual consistency to set principles for transparency, trust, escalation, and personalization. Core behaviors such as listening, suggesting, coaching, and celebrating were translated into reusable interaction patterns with clear rules.
Onboarding
Onboarding
Exercise Therapy
Exercise Therapy
Breathing Exercises
Breathing Exercises
Calm down. Just breathe.
We reimagined Hinge Health's breathing experience to support emotional regulation alongside physical recovery. By introducing clearer guidance, intentional pacing, and personalized support, we reduced cognitive load and helped members engage more effectively with mindfulness. The redesign made breathing exercises a seamless part of the broader care journey, reinforcing a more holistic approach to pain management.
We reimagined Hinge Health's breathing experience to support emotional regulation alongside physical recovery. By introducing clearer guidance, intentional pacing, and personalized support, we reduced cognitive load and helped members engage more effectively with mindfulness. The redesign made breathing exercises a seamless part of the broader care journey, reinforcing a more holistic approach to pain management.
The Proof: How empathetic AI drovereal human results
In 12 weeks, Hinge Health evolved from a portfolio of independent experiences into a more cohesive, AI enabled care ecosystem. Robin emerged as a visible and trusted layer across the member journey, helping unify interactions, strengthen engagement, and create greater continuity between digital and human care. The resulting experience reflects a new model for healthcare: one where intelligent systems and clinical expertise work together to deliver support that feels personal, scalable, and deeply human. Early prototypes showed:
In 12 weeks, Hinge Health evolved from a portfolio of independent experiences into a more cohesive, AI enabled care ecosystem. Robin emerged as a visible and trusted layer across the member journey, helping unify interactions, strengthen engagement, and create greater continuity between digital and human care. The resulting experience reflects a new model for healthcare: one where intelligent systems and clinical expertise work together to deliver support that feels personal, scalable, and deeply human. Early prototypes showed:
✳︎ Users now move with assurance and purpose
+25%
A 25% increase in exercise session completion when Robin provided real time, contextual guidance during activities.
+18%
Members spent 18% more time engaging withprogress dashboards, insights, and daily support tools.
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