The American College of Surgeons
Year
Dec 2021- Feb 2023
What I did:
- Phase III UX Lead
- Task Flows
- Wireframes
- Research synthesis
- Art Direction
- Prototyping
- Accessibility consulting
Deliverables
- Wireframes
- Prototypes
- Dev Ready mockups
- Design system components
Redesigning for Impact: Revolutionizing the American College of Surgeons’ 84,000-Member Digital Experience
Problem
The ACS site was outdated, difficult to manage, and not designed to meet the needs of its diverse audience. With a massive number of pages, the existing system couldn’t keep up, making it nearly impossible to manage. A complete overhaul was essential.
Solution
We started by conducting in-depth qualitative and quantitative audience research to uncover insights that became the foundation for the redesign. These insights helped us create customer personas, which allowed us to design experiences that centered on the most critical audience needs.
My Role
As the Lead Designer for Phase III, I took on multiple roles: UX Designer, Accessibility Consultant, Information Architect, and more. I led the development of key sections, including the News and Publications areas.
One of my key contributions was establishing accessibility guidelines for the design system and pattern library, ensuring that accessibility was baked into every aspect of the site’s design. I also served as the single point of contact between design and development, ensuring consistency in the digital brand guidelines, components, and page templates across the ecosystem. These guidelines empowered content editors to create optimal pages within the CMS.
Persona driven insights
Methodology
I identified user task flows through the lens of our personas, ensuring the experiences we created aligned with their needs and behaviors. I led Design Thinking workshops and brainstorming sessions with both the internal team and the client to foster collaboration and innovative solutions.
Information Architecture
Through our research, we identified patterns in how users expected content to be organized. This guided the creation of an expansive site map, defining and validating user flows across different ACS divisions, ensuring a seamless and cohesive user experience.
Phase III Goals
Continuous Accessibility Audits
Regularly review and audit the site to ensure compliance with the latest accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG). As new features are added, ensure they align with accessibility best practices.
Mobile Optimization and Responsiveness
While the site is currently accessible, optimizing the mobile experience further will improve engagement across devices. This includes refining touch interactions, improving load times, and enhancing responsive layouts.
Ongoing Collaboration with Stakeholders
Regular stakeholder workshops and check-ins should be held to ensure that as the platform evolves, it continues to meet the changing needs of surgeons, medical professionals, and patients.
Design System
Continue to evolve the design system, ensuring that it adapts to new design trends, accessibility improvements, and future site features
Design Direction
Feature Improvements
Design System Evolution:
- Implemented updates to the design system to ensure accessibility and future enhancements.
- Adjusted the flexibility of the top banner to accommodate more space for copy and media while improving accessibility.
- Refined font sizes to ensure legibility for all users.
- Developed accessible table components and created a Surgeon’s Dashboard to enhance user experience.
Design Iterations: What's Next?
Surgeon's Dashboard Iniative
Enhanced Personalization
Implement more advanced personalization features using user data and behavior to deliver even more relevant content to specific audience segments, such as customized dashboards or content recommendations for surgeons based on their specialties.
The Results
The redesign led to a significant increase in engagement, and the site’s performance has only improved since launch. Our research and iterative design process transformed the website from a fragmented, siloed experience into one that truly prioritizes audience needs