Responsive web design for the platform bridging the medical disparity gap.
Role: UX/UI Designer, UX Researcher
Duration: 6 weeks
Tool: Figma
Background, Problem & Opportunity
Secondary, Surveys & Interviews
Flows, WireFrames, Hi-Fidelity
User Testing, Iterations, Final Thoughts, Next Steps
Background, The Problem, & Solution
Secondary Research, Competitive Analysis, User Interviews
Information Architecture, Flows, Wireframes
User Testing, Iterations, Final Thoughts, Next Steps
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Health In Her HUE is the first touchpoint for Black women and women of color to be informed and empowered when making choices pertaining to their health. They are reducing racial health disparities by leveraging the power of technology, media, and community to improve health outcomes for Black women and women of color. They do this by bringing awareness to health and wellness issues in a relevant, engaging and accessible way. And empower women of color, and their allies, to share, learn and innovate around the health issues that disproportionately affect them.
Health in Her HUE currently only uses an app for its users to connect with the community, find health care providers and learn more about health and wellness.
Hypothesis: A responsive website will help the company reach more people and allow users to browse content easily before committing to downloading the app. With this reach, black women and women of color can be more informed about health and wellness and receive better overall care.
(Disclaimer: At the start of this project, there was no website. I did not work directly with the company because they were already working with a designer, but I wanted to support it by designing a website for a cause I care about. During my project, they released a new website and updated the branding. However, my project is entirely separate from their designer’s work.)
Racism and discrimination, unfortunately, play a huge part in the increased rate of health issues in black women and women of color. Studies show that,
Though Health in Her HUE is working hard to bridge the gap between black women/WOC and proper healthcare, still not many people are aware of the platform. My research aimed to understand black women and WOC’s preferences and experiences regarding their health and overall wellbeing and how this platform can better serve them.
I was also curious to hear from black women and women of color, so I surveyed and interviewed 11 (combined) women, and here’s what stood out the most:
These insights allowed me to identify the user's goals, motivations and frustrations to design the website that would be the most beneficial to them.
The best thing Health in Her HUE can do is provide a safe space for black women and women of color to easily find health care providers and content to feel more empowered taking care of their bodies.
HMW: How might we assist black women and women of color in taking care of their health/wellness by providing information, a sense of community, and a directory of diverse health care professionals?
I created a feature roadmap to identify the most important features that would be beneficial to the user and the business, then laid it out in a site map to organize and prioritize the information architecture. Based on this I knew my main focus for the website MVP was to create 2 main task flows.
The 3 main functions for Health in Her HUE are to provide users with a directory of professionals, educate women with credible health and wellness-related content and foster a community of black women and women of color in this space.
It was important for the main CTA to be finding health care providers because it is one of the main issues women have when it relates to their health.
During interviews, participants made it clear the two most important factors they considered when searching for new doctors were health insurance and location. Many also said that depending on the specialty, gender, and sometimes race influenced their decision to see them as well.
The homepage needed to display the information and value users would get in a simple, yet informative way. I showed a preview of what they could expect by highlighting featured doctors, recent content, and popular forum topics.
When sketching, I was trying to decide between 2 layouts; one which showed a brief overview of the offerings and one that was more detailed. The more detailed approach would give users a better preview of what to expect.
The cards for the providers also needed to show just enough information for users to be able to make an informed decision, but not too much information to make it overwhelming.
Lack of information is also one of the reasons black women and women of color aren’t getting the proper care they deserve. Some people don’t have access to the right resources, so Health in Her HUE is helping by sharing and releasing credible content.
Through interviews, I found that users really valued feedback from others. They relied on reviews when making decisions, family and friends when they wanted recommendations, and people on the internet when they had questions. The forum, reviews, and content allow users to connect with peers and have a sense of community to know that they aren’t alone.
I conducted 4 moderated usability tests to observe how users went through the mobile and web prototypes and found that all participants were able to complete the tasks of finding health care providers and health/wellness-related information. All participants gave a rating of 5/5 for ease of use and said they would use this platform.
After testing and receiving feedback from a mentor, I made a few iterations that would add more value to the user's experience.
This project supported a cause that I'm really passionate about. It was challenging to find research participants due to the specific target market, but in the end I found users who shared valuable information and would benefit greatly from using this platform. Health in Her HUE is continuing to gain traction and grow it's community and has been a great influence on bridging the gap between black women/women of color and health equity.
How I would measure success: