Designing intuitive UIs for template-based extraction

empowering non-tech users

Lessons from building Aidbox Forms

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Organized by

FHIR® SDC Conference

June 2025

About Vitalii

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• 5 years in Health IT & FHIR�
• 15+ years in IT across roles: Tech Support, Oracle DBA / Developer, Full-stack dev �(JVM & JS: Java, Kotlin, Ceylon, Clojure)�
• Passionate about Functional Programming, Programming Languages, and building delightful, intuitive UIs

Tech Lead, Aidbox Forms

Health Samurai

Vitalii Banchenko

FHIR® SDC Conference | June 2025

Agenda

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What is extraction?

Why template-based extraction?

Why do we need a UI for it?

Demo

Future challenges

V

FHIR® SDC Conference | June 2025

What is extraction

& why we need it?

• FHIR enables data exchange and reuse�
• Data must have a known structure�
• Questionnaires (and their responses) have arbitrary structures�
• Extraction maps them to structured resources

The process of transforming QuestionnaireResponse�data into structured FHIR resources

extraction

Questionnaire�Response

FHIR resource

�(Observation, etc..)

FHIR® SDC Conference | June 2025

Why template-based extraction?

Logic model of extraction:

• It’s idiomatic and intuitive – �you simply create FHIR resources�
• It’s powerful – you can set any field within the template�
• It decouples extraction logic �from the Questionnaire

Questionnaire

Questionnaire�Response

Template

Resource�instance

extraction

FHIR® SDC Conference | June 2025

How it looks under the hood

Key components:

• Everything is done via FHIR extensions�
• The template is a contained resource with embedded FHIRPath expressions�
• Template references can link to the form or specific items

Questionnaire

QuestionnaireResponse

Observation

Template: �newObservation

Item: �Body Weight

Item: �Body Weight

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resourceType: �Observation…

templateExtractValue:� expr: item.answer.value

linkId: bodyWeight�Text: Body Weight…

templateExtract:� reference: newObservation

answer:� value: 60� unit: ‘kg’�

linkId: bodyWeight�Text: Body Weight…

resourceType:Observation�valueQuantity:� value: 60� unit: kg

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��

FHIR® SDC Conference | June 2025

Why we need a UI for extraction?

Our goal:

Make a complex process approachable for non-technical users through thoughtful UI/UX design

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Challenges without a UI:

• Authoring raw JSON is difficult�
• Requires deep understanding of FHIR structure�
• Hard to validate and test�
• Prone to errors: incorrect resource structure, wrong field values, faulty FHIRPath expressions, missing required fields

FHIR® SDC Conference | June 2025

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• Eliminates common errors�
• Guides the structure of FHIR resources�
• Removes manual effort for entering known data�
• Hides FHIRPath complexity for simple use cases

What our UI provides

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FHIR® SDC Conference | June 2025

How it works: Template selection

Template schema selection

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• Intuitive interface for choosing extraction templates�
• Guides users to the correct data structure from the start

FHIR® SDC Conference | June 2025

How it works: Intuitive data mapping

TreeView-based representation

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• Maps complex FHIR structures into an easy-to-navigate tree�
• Enhances understanding and reduces cognitive load

TreeView Structure: �Provides a simplified, navigable representation

FHIR Structure: �Displays the underlying FHIR resource model

FHIR® SDC Conference | June 2025

How it works: Navigating & Populating Data

TreeView-based navigation: �Seamlessly traverse complex FHIR resource paths

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Predefined FHIRPath for getting answers: �Automated expressions for extracting answers from QuestionnaireResponse

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FHIR® SDC Conference | June 2025

How it works: Smart Lookups

Item Codes: �Quick search and selection of relevant codes

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Basic ValueSet Lookups: �Simplifies data entry by providing predefined value options

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Cross-reference Lookup: �Connects related data points across resources

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FHIR® SDC Conference | June 2025

How it works: Validation & Debugging

Template Validation: �Prevents common errors in resource definition

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Debug console for testing template: �Powerful environment for identification and resolution of extraction issues

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FHIR® SDC Conference | June 2025

Let’s demo

FHIR® SDC Conference | June 2025

Insights from Development

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& what’s next?

• UI/UX design took more time than developing the extraction engine�
• User-friendly solutions are key to driving adoption of FHIR and SDC

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• Deep terminology integration�
• Profiles integration�
• Graph representation of Questionnaires and extracted resources

FHIR® SDC Conference | June 2025

Where to try it

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free and online

Explore our Public Form Builder and see how easy template-based extraction can be!�

Scan the QR code or visit:�https://form-builder.aidbox.app/�

We’d love to hear your feedback and ideas!

form-builder.aidbox.app

FHIR® SDC Conference | June 2025

Got questions?

FHIR® SDC Conference | June 2025

Let’s keep in touch

Full Stack Engineer, Tech Lead – Aidbox Forms

Health Samurai

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vitaly@health-samurai.io

Vitalii Banchenko

#lets connect

FHIR® SDC Conference | June 2025

Thank you!

FHIR® SDC Conference | June 2025