Scaling a digital rehab product without losing time to market

About the project

GoRehab is a Swiss digital health startup originating from the ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research at the University of Bern. The team combines expertise in biomedical engineering, software, and rehabilitation science to develop interactive, data-driven therapy solutions.

Their core product, the DextEgg system, blends physical rehabilitation with digital feedback and gamified interaction. Built on strong research foundations, the solution had already been validated in practice and was actively evolving into a broader digital rehabilitation system.

What did our client need

As the product expanded beyond a single application, GoRehab needed to define how the system should scale. While the initial request focused on designing a therapist-facing platform, the key requirement was to establish a structured approach to growth.

We proposed shifting the focus towards a platform-level perspective, including:

• clear system architecture across applications

• defined integration between mobile and web components

• alignment with future regulatory requirements.

This allowed us to move from designing a single interface to establishing a scalable and certifiable product foundation.

How did we approach it?

We structured the engagement as a focused product and architecture phase, combining product, technical, and regulatory perspectives into one decision-making process.

Product workshop

We began with workshops to align on the full system scope, including relationships between the patient and therapist applications, data flows, and ownership of key components.

This allowed us to move from isolated features to a shared understanding of the product as a connected system.

Product structure and system design

Instead of treating the therapist application as a separate layer, we defined how both applications should operate within a single platform.

This included:

• defining integration between mobile and web components

• identifying areas where refactor of patient application would bring long-term value

• aligning product structure with future scalability needs.

A key decision at this stage was to adjust the use of Unity, introducing React Native where lower complexity did not justify the overhead. At the same time, we highlighted that React Native can be useful when we want to avoid performance issues by building a multithreaded architecture.

Regarding the existing mobile application and its upcoming rework, we sketched initial ideas for how we can integrate it with the future application. One of the most important answers we gave our client was that we can create a layered architecture that allows us to replace parts, such as the mobile front-end, without impacting other components.

Architecture and regulatory alignment

We defined a high-level system architecture that clarified component responsibilities, backend structure, and scalability assumptions.

In parallel, we aligned the product structure with potential regulatory pathways (Class I vs IIa), ensuring that architectural decisions would support certification. 

Roadmap and estimation

Finally, we translated the defined structure into an execution-ready plan, including prioritised scope, development roadmap, and cost estimations grounded in realistic architectural assumptions.

Communication and collaboration

The engagement was run as a series of structured working sessions, where product, technical, and regulatory decisions were discussed and validated jointly with the client team.

This ensured that key assumptions were clarified early, trade-offs were made transparently, and the direction remained consistent across all stakeholders.

What we delivered? 

This phase established a structured foundation for scaling the product, enabling the client to make informed product, technical, and regulatory decisions.

• Defined application scope aligned with medical device classification, including clear boundaries for Class I and future Class IIa scenarios

• Prioritised feature set, allowing the team to focus on what is required for the initial release versus later expansion

• Clickable prototype, supporting internal alignment and validation of the therapist-facing experience

• High-level system architecture, clarifying system components, responsibilities, and key technical assumptions

• Defined integration model between the existing mobile application and the planned web platform

• Presented a hybrid approach that Unity can be used for more advanced games, embedding Unity as a native module while keeping simpler interactions in React Native

• Development roadmap with cost estimation, providing visibility into timelines and investment required for further development

This gave the client clarity on how to scale the product without introducing structural complexity or regulatory risk, while maintaining control over scope and costs.