Will Jackson is the founder of Playphysio and the parent of a child with cystic fibrosis.
Will Jackson, Founder of Playphysio
As a product designer and digital developer with 20 years of experience in digital gamification, Will Jackson has built engaging experiences across multiple industries. But none of that prepared him for the daily treatment battles with his daughter.
When she was nine, Will realized the respiratory therapy keeping her healthy was also the root cause of daily arguments were taking their toll on the whole family.
So he started sketching ideas at his kitchen table. What if her breathing exercises could control some sort of game? What if treatment became something children actually wanted to do? Would treatment be done better? Might children actually choose to do it themselves?
Will taught himself just enough embedded programming, sensor technology, and mobile coding, to build a prototypes, often working late into the night. This ‘side-project’ with daughter as ‘test pilot’ turned into a full-time obsession. His home office filled with circuit boards and 3D printed prototypes as he iterated through design after design.
Anita Rani tries Playphysio for The One Show
For Will, building Playphysio has meant sacrifices. Long nights. Financial uncertainty. Learning entire fields from scratch. But watching children light up (and fellow parents relax!) when they realize treatment can actually be fun? Worth every second.
What started as one desperate dad trying to save his relationship with his daughter has become a mission to help families worldwide. Will leads a team of engineers, game designers, and respiratory specialists who all believe that treatment can be better.
There isn’t a ‘secret move’ or ‘magic spell’ to cure chronic conditions, but Will believes that we can help transform children and families’ experiences of treatment. We can turn 365 days of potential arguments into opportunities for connection, achievement, and yes, even fun.
That belief drives everything Playphysio does.
The Playphysio in action
Recognition & Support
Playphysio has been supported by leading healthcare and innovation organizations including:
- Winner - EU Patient Innovation Bootcamp 2025
- NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme 2024-2025
- NIHR (National Institute for Health Research)
- Alder Hey Children’s Hospital Trust
- Birmingham Women and Children’s Hospital
- Innovate UK, Design for Growth, Edge.
- Comic Relief, Tech for Good.
- Cystic Fibrosis Trust
- Addenbrookes Charitable Trust
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Addenbrookes Hospital
- TheFore
- Multiple healthcare innovation awards
Get Involved
Whether you’re a patient, caregiver, healthcare professional, or potential partner, we’d love to hear from you. Visit our contact page to get in touch.
Playphysio® is a registered trademark of Playphysio C.I.C., a Community Interest Company dedicated to improving healthcare outcomes through innovative technology.