Reference library

The library

Reference resources you come back to while designing: standards, design systems, tools and more. Every entry links to its original and shows a licence check. Nothing here is rehosted. It is a reference set, not a news feed.

Licence Free to share open licence or public material Licence not confirmed link out only until you have checked the source Link out only never host or copy

Showing 17 of 54 resources

Standards 17

The rules and specifications your design has to meet.

Standard Licence not confirmed ADA guidance on web accessibility ada.gov The US Department of Justice's guidance on how the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to the websites of businesses and of state and local governments. Useful background for seeing how accessibility obligations are framed for a health service in the US. Accessibility Checked Oct 2026 Standard Licence not confirmed EN 301 549 etsi.org The European standard that sets accessibility requirements for ICT products and services, and the technical document EU accessibility rules point to. Its web requirements follow WCAG, so it is the one to check when a health product is sold into European public procurement. This is a direct link to the PDF on ETSI's site. Accessibility Checked Oct 2026 Standard Licence not confirmed European Health Data Space Regulation (EU) 2025/327 eur-lex.europa.eu The EU regulation that creates the European Health Data Space: how people get access to and control over their electronic health data, and how that data can be shared for care, research and policy. It phases in over several years, so it shapes what patient-facing data screens for EU markets will need to offer. Service design Checked Oct 2026 Standard Licence not confirmed FDA guidance: human factors and usability engineering for medical devices fda.gov FDA guidance for manufacturers on applying human factors and usability engineering so a medical device is safe and effective for its intended users and use environments. Worth reading for any team whose product may count as a device, because it describes the usability work FDA recommends. AI & safety Checked Oct 2026 Standard Free to share FDA Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) fda.gov FDA's framework for when software itself counts as a regulated medical device — the line that decides whether a feature needs clinical validation before shipping. Read this before assuming a "just a recommendation" feature is exempt. AI & safety Checked Oct 2026 Standard Free to share GDPR (EU regulation text) eur-lex.europa.eu The full EU regulation text behind consent, data minimisation, and the right to erasure. The design implications (consent screens, data-export flows) trace back to specific articles here — worth reading Articles 6, 7 and 17 directly rather than a summary. Service design Checked Oct 2026 Standard Free to share HIPAA (HHS) hhs.gov The US federal rule governing how patient health information can be stored, shared, and displayed. Relevant any time a screen shows PHI to someone other than the patient — who can see what, and what has to be logged. Service design Checked Sep 2026 Standard Free to share HL7 FHIR hl7.org The interoperability standard most health systems use to exchange patient data between EMRs, apps and portals. Designers don't need to write FHIR, but its resource shapes (Patient, Observation, MedicationRequest) explain why some data is easy to surface and some isn't. Service design Checked Oct 2026 Standard Free to share ICO: What is valid consent? ico.org.uk The UK regulator's guidance on what makes consent valid under UK GDPR: freely given, specific, informed and an unambiguous choice. Useful when a consent screen has to be judged on how it asks, such as whether declining is as easy as agreeing. Trust, Ethics & Safety Checked Oct 2026 Standard Licence not confirmed ISMP Guidelines for Safe Electronic Communication of Medication Information home.ecri.org The Institute for Safe Medication Practices' guidelines for how medication names, doses and numbers should be shown on screens and in messages, so they are not misread. Relevant to any medication list, schedule or dose field. This links to the resource page, not the full document. Trust, Ethics & Safety Checked Oct 2026 Standard Licence not confirmed Joint Commission Sentinel Event Alert 50: Medical device alarm safety in hospitals jointcommission.org A 2013 alert on alarm-related harm in hospitals, describing how a high volume of alarms, many needing no action, can lead staff to miss the ones that matter. Background for any alert or notification design where too many signals is the risk. Link only; the publisher allows reproduction only in full. UX Patterns for Health Checked Oct 2026 Standard Licence not confirmed Making Content Usable for People with Cognitive and Learning Disabilities (W3C COGA) w3.org A W3C Working Group Note on designing content for people with cognitive and learning disabilities, with objectives and patterns for clear structure, familiar language and support with errors. A practical reference for screens that people use while unwell, stressed or tired. Design for Vulnerable Users Checked Oct 2026 Standard Licence not confirmed My Health Records Act 2012 (Australia) legislation.gov.au The Australian Act that sets up My Health Record and the rules for who may access and share what is in it. Read it directly when designing anything that shows, shares or hides record data for Australian users, rather than relying on a summary. Service design Checked Oct 2026 Standard Licence not confirmed Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (HHS) hhs.gov The HHS Office for Civil Rights page on Section 504, which prohibits disability discrimination in programmes and activities that receive HHS funding. It is the reference point for accessibility duties on US health services that take federal money, beyond what a WCAG checklist alone says. Accessibility Checked Sep 2026 Standard Free to share Section 508 (US) section508.gov The accessibility requirement for US federal agencies and their contractors — effectively WCAG 2.0 AA plus procurement language. Relevant for any project selling into government health systems (VA, Medicaid portals). Accessibility Checked Oct 2026 Standard Free to share WCAG 2.2 w3.org The current W3C accessibility standard, extending 2.1 with nine new success criteria (focus visibility, dragging alternatives, target size, and more). WCAG 2.2 AA is the legal baseline in most jurisdictions this site covers — treat it as a definition of done, not an aspiration. Accessibility Checked Oct 2026 Standard Licence not confirmed WHO High 5s: Medication Reconciliation fact sheet cdn.who.int A two-page WHO fact sheet on the standard process for medication reconciliation: building one list of what a patient takes and checking it against new orders at each transition of care. Helps explain what an EHR medication-list screen has to support. Direct link to the PDF. Trust, Ethics & Safety Checked Oct 2026