Midwestern Healthcare Pediatrics

I led a team of designers based in the US and India to redesign the pediatrics webpage for a major Midwestern healthcare company. My US colleagues and I concentrated on UX strategy and research to understand the needs of parents, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. We developed key webpage concepts based on our findings. I then collaborated with our offshore team in India to expand our vision to additional web pages.

- Role: Associate Creative Director
- Time frame: June 2022 - September 2022
- Tools: Figma, Jira

The Challenge

The existing Pediatrics site was unappealing, appearing dull and uninviting. Navigation was cumbersome, making it difficult for users to find relevant information, and the site felt cold and impersonal, failing to reflect the caring nature of pediatric healthcare. Our challenge was to transform this lackluster site into an engaging, user-friendly platform that instills confidence in parents and encourages increased visits.

Previous pediatric website

Competitive Analysis

We studied digital experiences from 10 competitors to identify useful patterns, content, and features that we could learn from and implement on our design. We summarized our learnings and recommendations into 7 key categories:

Look and feel: The look and feel should make it clear that the institution caters to children while keeping the right balance between playful and professional. Use brighter colors and images to add a softer, warmer feel to the site, but maintain a clean, simple layout that can be associated with a trustworthy healthcare institution.

Trustworthiness: Use the homepage to inspire trust and reassurance by letting parents know they are in the right place as soon as they reach the site. Help parents feel at ease by showcasing what makes this institution the best place for their children by showcasing awards and sharing patient success stories parents can relate to.

Research and innovation:
Create a devoted section on the site to highlight the research and innovation. This information should also be referenced on other pages as supporting rationale to go to MHF.

Philanthropy: Include donate button for quick and easy monetary donation, and also let users know all the different ways to help and get involved. Showcase the impact of donations and community involvement on the site.

Type of care: Create an easy way to access care by splitting services between  primary care and specialized care. Additionally, allow easy access to emergency and urgent care services information up front.

Access to care: Allow users to book appointments online when possible. Help parents and children prepare for appointments by letting them know exactly what to expect each step of the way.

IA & navigation: Common organizational patterns can be used as a starting point for the Peds Experience IA. We recommend including quick action links and relevant connection points between adult and peds experiences.

A few slides extracted from the competitive analysis deck

Stakeholder and Patient Inteview

The research phase of this case study focused on understanding the needs and expectations of both stakeholders and patients to create a user-centric Pediatrics digital experience. We conducted 14 stakeholder interviews to gain insights into their vision for the new platform, how they expect caretakers to use it, and the challenges caretakers face when finding pediatric care online. These interviews provided a comprehensive understanding of the stakeholders' goals and the pain points in the existing system.

Simultaneously, we conducted 15 patient interviews to delve into how parents make decisions about selecting a pediatric healthcare provider and the factors influencing those decisions. We also aimed to understand what aspects of searching for a pediatric healthcare provider parents care most about and why. By analyzing how parents currently use their pediatric healthcare provider’s website, we identified key areas for improvement. This dual approach of engaging both stakeholders and patients ensured that our design solutions were well-informed and aligned with the needs of all users involved.

A few slides extracted from the stakeholders and patients inteview decks

Personas and Journeys

With the information from the interviews we developed detailed personas representing different user groups, including:

- Parents with Primary Care Needs: These users are focused on routine check-ups, vaccinations, and general health information. They prioritize ease of navigation and trustworthiness to quickly find reliable information.
- Parents with Specialized Care Needs: These users are seeking information and resources for specific health conditions or treatments. They require detailed, accurate content and easy access to specialist information.
- Parents with Mixed Needs (Multiple Kids): Managing the healthcare needs of multiple children, these users need a well-organized site that allows them to efficiently find information and book appointments for various needs.

Alongside personas, we mapped out user journeys to understand the various paths users might take while navigating the site. This helped us identify pain points and opportunities for improvement. For example:
- Appointment Booking Journey: We streamlined the process to make it intuitive and quick, reducing the steps required to book an appointment.
- Information Seeking Journey: We reorganized content to ensure that critical information is easily accessible, enhancing the overall user experience.

By aligning our design decisions with these personas and journeys, we ensured that the new site would meet the diverse needs of its users.

The three key personas represented parent with primary care needs specialty care needs and mixed care needs

Prioritization Workshop

We organized an onsite workshop in Minneapolis with key leaders from the healthcare organization. During this session, we:

- Identified Key Features: Discussed and listed potential design features.
- Prioritized Features: Evaluated each feature based on its impact and effort required.
- Defined MVP: Established a clear direction for the Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

By the end of the workshop, we had a well-defined roadmap for the project.

Clients and Deloitte team cooperating on prioritization exercise (left). Detailed view of prioritizatoin matrix (right)

Key Screens and forward strategy

With clear design priorities, we proceeded to design the key screens for the new site. Leading a team of designers in India, we focused on:

- User-Friendly Navigation: Simplifying the site structure to enhance usability.
- Engaging Visuals: Incorporating child-friendly graphics and colors to make the site more inviting.
- Personal Touch: Adding elements that convey warmth and care, aligning with the ethos of pediatric healthcare.

Once the critical screens were designed, I transitioned the project to the team for the completion of the entire site. We collaborated on comprehensive documentation and guidelines to ensure future designs remained consistent with our original vision.

Homepage Desktopand Mobile

Internal page template page desktop and mobile

Resources page desktop and mobile