Location: Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg · Hybrid
Travel: ~1 week/quarter to US clinical sites
Language: English (fluent)
About XENAXENA converts MRI into AI-powered 3D surgical workflows, helping teams understand disease, plan with confidence, and navigate safely during real procedures. Our platform identifies pathology, reconstructs anatomy, structures surgical plans, and supports real-time guidance in the OR.
We begin in gynecology—endometriosis, fibroids, and complex pelvic disease—and extend into all soft-tissue surgery. Backed by Techstars Berlin and leading surgical and medtech experts across the US and EU, we’re building toward a simple mission: every surgery should run on intelligence, not intuition.
Primary Function of PositionYou will design the core interaction model for how surgeons work with XENA — defining system behaviors, workflows, and visual structures that turn complex imaging and surgical data into clear, usable, real-time guidance.
This is full-stack product design across interaction design, UX, and UI. You’ll shape:
- System behavior: gestures, feedback, transitions, interaction patterns
- Information architecture: how multi-dimensional surgical data is structured
- Workflow logic: planning → review → intra-operative use
- Visual systems: hierarchy, components, layout, and clarity under stress
You will define the foundations of disease-centric surgical intelligence — patterns that scale from pre-op planning to in-op decision support and future robotics.
What You’ll Work On:Design how surgeons experience intelligence across 5 core problem spaces.
1. Making Disease UnderstandableContext
Surgeons navigate multiple lesions across organs, switching between MRI and 3D to understand depth, proximity, and risk.
You will explore
- Seamless, low-cognitive-load MRI ↔ 3D navigation
- Reveal/hide/compare behaviors that match surgical reasoning
- Instant clarity of depth, boundaries, and proximity
Design challenge
Make complex pathology understandable at a glance.
2. Unifying MRI & 3D Into One ExperienceContext
Surgeons expect MRI and 3D models to behave as one coherent environment.
You will explore
- Tight, intuitive MRI–3D synchronization
- Fast, predictable transitions between modalities
- Blending controls that add clarity without clutter
Design challenge
Fuse imaging and 3D into one mental model.
3. Rethinking Surgical PlanningContext
Planning styles vary — risk-first, anatomy-first, compartment-first — but the result must feel obvious to execute.
You will explore
- Clear visual hierarchy for disease priorities
- Risk cues that inform without overwhelming
- Planning objects (lesions, corridors, planes) that shape strategy
Design challenge
Turn complexity into a plan that feels natural and actionable.
4. Guiding Teams During SurgeryContext
XENA is used while operating — surgeons and assistants rely on real-time clarity as anatomy is exposed.
You will explore
- Progress, next steps, and anatomy changes surfaced without distraction
- Reliable touch interactions in gloved, sterile, assistant-driven workflows
- Intra-operative guidance and 3D views that stay aligned with the surgical plan
Design challenge
Deliver real-time surgical clarity at the exact moment it’s needed.
5. Designing for a Robotics-Ready FutureContext
Your designs must scale from human to hybrid human–robot workflows.
You will explore
- Machine-readable targets and surgical regions
- Planning that evolves with robotic assistance
- Modular UI patterns that adapt as new devices emerge
Design challenge
Design for surgeons now — and robots next.
Interaction Quality & CollaborationOwn the Interaction System- Define the behaviors, gestures, states, and transitions that make XENA intuitive and coherent.
- Produce clear, build-ready interaction specs.
- Treat performance and edge cases as core design constraints.
Research, Discovery & Validation- Observe surgeons interpreting MRI, planning and operating.
- Run rapid usability sessions across planning and pilots.
- Turn clinical behavior into patterns that reduce cognitive load.
Partner Cross-Functionally- Collaborate with engineering on feasibility, clinical teams on workflow accuracy, and product on clarity and adoption.
How You WorkYou may be a fit if you:
- Think in systems, behaviors, and workflows — not just screens
- Are comfortable with imaging, 3D reasoning, and AI-driven tools
- Communicate clearly through diagrams, prototypes, and specifications
- Bring structure to ambiguity
- Iterate quickly with expert feedback
- Care deeply about clarity, reliability, and safety
Why This Role MattersYour designs will help surgeons:
- See disease that current tools miss
- Reduce cognitive load and stay fully oriented
- Make faster, clearer decisions under pressure
- Execute safer, more consistent operations
- Review what happened and why through post-op visualizations
- Move naturally toward robotics-enabled workflows
This work directly impacts women undergoing complex pelvic surgery — helping surgeons detect disease earlier, operate more safely, and send patients home sooner with fewer complications.
You are defining how the next generation of surgeons will operate across the largest segment of surgical care.
What We Offer- Impact: Your work reaches real operating rooms and real patients
- Ownership: Foundational role shaping the core interaction model
- Hybrid: Deep work in Mannheim with regular clinical exposure
- Compensation: €35,000–45,000 + equity + visits to US clinical institutions
How to ApplyEmail your portfolio and CV to hiring@xenadx.com
Subject: Interaction Designer – Surgical Intelligence Platform
Your portfolio should show:
- 3D or spatial interaction design
- Systems thinking (flows, behaviors, specs)
- A clear design process from exploration → iteration → validation
- A short (~2-minute), unedited video explaining why you want to work with us (in English)
