Digitizing Pediatric Pre-Operative Workflows Intelligently

about the client

Dr. Lauren Welsh, a pediatric anesthesiologist and Founder of PreOpApp™ Kids, envisioned a digital preoperative platform to reduce fear and improve the surgical experience for children and families. Cubix translated this vision into a mobile app that supports pediatric preparation and caregivers throughout the journey.

Location: United States

challenges we encountered

Cubix developed PreOpApp™ Kids over 6 months, addressing two key challenges. First, adapting Unity, originally built for gaming applications, into a pediatric peroperative care environment while ensuring clinically appropriate interactions aligned with pediatric anesthesia workflows. Second, delivering a stable, cross-platform experience with high usability for pediatric patients, caregivers, and clinical stakeholders.

our Development approach

Discovery & Requirement Analysis

We began by defining Dr. Lauren Welsh’s clinical vision through detailed consultations, workflow mapping, and planning sessions. This helped us understand pediatric preoperative pathways, caregiver concerns, anxiety factors, and align clear, patient-centered design goals.

Designing with Empathy

We designed every interface with empathy, focusing on child-friendly, engaging experiences while ensuring caregivers could navigate easily. Iterative prototypes were refined to balance emotional comfort, clarity, usability, and clinically appropriate interaction design outcomes.

Adapting Technology

Using Unity, originally built for gaming, we developed interactive modules for pediatric healthcare use. Each feature was designed for safety, responsiveness, and engagement while maintaining clinical appropriateness, performance stability, and usability across devices.

Iterative Testing

We conducted extensive usability and reliability testing across devices, incorporating continuous feedback at every stage. This helped refine functionality, reduce friction, and ensure consistent, smooth performance for both children and caregivers in real-world use cases.

Seamless Launch & Ongoing Support

The application was deployed with strict quality standards and stability checks. Post-launch monitoring and updates ensure reliability, supporting children, caregivers, and clinicians through continuous improvements, issue resolution, and sustained performance optimization.

enhancing pediatric care through thoughtful design

PreOpApp™ Kids uses intuitive design and child-focused interactive experiences to make pediatric surgery preparation more approachable and supportive for children and their families.

Interactive games introduce children to the hospital environment while encouraging calmness and emotional reassurance through playful activities.

Friendly characters like Little Hottie™, a goldfish, and a cuddly sheep provide comfort and supportive guidance throughout the preparation experience.

Audiovisual storytelling helps children understand the preoperative process in a clear, engaging way, supporting confidence, preparation, and emotional comfort.

Gentle reminders help families stay on track before surgery, reducing last-minute stress and improving communication with healthcare teams.

design that drives better care

From navigation to user interactions, every aspect of PreOpApp™ Kids was designed to improve clarity, encourage engagement, and create a supportive experience for children, families, and clinicians. The result is a seamless experience that helps make pediatric preoperative preparation more approachable for children and families.

preopapp™ kids – supporting pediatric surgery preparation

PreOpApp™ Kids is a mobile application designed to make the pre-surgery experience less stressful for children and caregivers. Available on iOS and Android, it provides interactive games, audiovisual storybooks, and educational content that help children understand hospital procedures, reduce anxiety, and build confidence before surgery. The Kid Zone offers playful, age-appropriate activities, while the Guardian Zone provides structured guidance, educational resources, and preparation support for caregivers. Key features include a Fasting Alert System (FAS) and NPO reminders with automated notifications, secure onboarding with login and session management, and an intuitive dual-zone interface focused on usability, accessibility, and a supportive pediatric preoperative experience.

overcoming challenges to deliver a seamless experience

During development, our team focused on delivering a responsive and engaging mobile experience while maintaining reliability across devices. One of the key challenges involved ensuring notifications and preparation reminders remained consistent and dependable during active user engagement. Through thoughtful planning, careful coordination, and thorough testing, we delivered an application that supports uninterrupted preparation experiences for children and caregivers.

This approach enabled personalized experiences, smooth interactions, and reliable progress tracking while helping families feel more informed and supported throughout the preoperative journey.

project results

Delivered a fully functional mobile application that successfully achieved all project goals and requirements.

Developed a secure onboarding experience with signup, login, and session management functionality.

Created an intuitive dual-zone experience, including Kid Zone and Guardian Zone interfaces, for easy navigation and engagement.

Introduced interactive Kid Zone experiences, including games, animated books, and engaging educational content designed to support learning and emotional preparation.

Provided a Guardian Zone featuring organized educational resources and supportive preparation guidance for caregivers.

Implemented fasting and preoperative reminder features with automated alerts and notifications to support timely preparation before surgery.

Received positive user feedback for delivering a supportive and engaging pediatric surgery preparation experience.