From the Clinic to the System: Asthma & Lung UK's Naomi Watt on Designing for Engagement

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Up, Up & Away, host Dom Burch is joined by Naomi Watt, from Asthma + Lung UK, for a wide-ranging conversation about behaviour, motivation, and what it really takes to design digital health tools that people actually use.Naomi reflects on her early career as a respiratory nurse — from reading X-rays on lightboxes to working in A&E, general practice and helplines — and how her passion for learning helped her absorb knowledge almost by osmosis. But she also shares a pivotal realisation: just because she cared deeply about respiratory health didn’t mean everyone else did, or could, in the same way.That insight became central to her later work. Post-COVID, Asthma + Lung UK recognised that healthcare professionals themselves were a missing link in improving care for people with lung conditions. Clinicians were coming from a huge range of backgrounds — GPs, paramedics, pharmacists, practice nurses — with very different levels of confidence, knowledge and support, often working in isolation within a stretched NHS.This led Naomi to design the Health Professionals Hub: a dedicated digital portal built not around information overload, but around how people feel when they go looking for help. Drawing on self-determination theory, she explains how autonomy, competence and relatedness underpin engagement — particularly when healthcare professionals are dealing with imposter syndrome or uncertainty.Naomi introduces the memorable idea of three “knowledge moments” — the “oh no”, “oh” and “ah” moments — and how designing for psychological safety, accessibility and plain English can turn panic into curiosity. She shares practical examples of how small, thoughtful tools can lead to meaningful changes in clinical practice and patient outcomes.The conversation then widens to young people with long-term conditions, exploring why digital health tools must reflect real life rather than neat clinical silos — and why collaboration matters more than duplication. Naomi makes a powerful case for charities, the NHS and technology partners working together, sharing trusted expertise so it can travel further and reach people in the moments that matter.This episode is not about an app. It’s about empathy, behaviour, and what it means to design healthcare systems that help people feel capable, connected and supported.Topics coveredNaomi’s journey from frontline clinician to system-level designerWhy healthcare professionals were the “missing link” post-COVIDDesigning for motivation, not just informationSelf-determination theory: autonomy, competence and belongingPsychological safety and tackling imposter syndromeWhy collaboration beats duplication in digital healthSupporting young people with long-term conditions in the real world