Project context, scope, and timeline

CVS wanted to create a web-responsive Clinical Portal that remotely connects clinicians with home dialysis patients. I worked on this project from strategy to execution (2019-2022).

My role and list of collaborators

I served as the sole Content Strategist & UX Writer on this project. I also designed portions of the Clinical Portal while collaborating with the Product Designers on the team. Collaborators included Erica Rodrigues (Product Design), Casey Jennings (Product Design), Mark Stillman (UX Research), and Mike Robbins (UX).

My role as Content Strategist:

• Researched and compiled content audits and competitive analyses to make informed recommendations for the product’s design and content.

• Created a content inventory of the medical device that paired with the Clinical Portal. This activity helped me understand medical terminology and make recommendations for the product’s content.

• Researched the “day in the life” of representative users (nephrology nurses, nephrologists, and technicians) to understand their daily responsibilities.

• Provided content strategy for the product vision that was presented to stakeholders and product teams.

• Facilitated in-person and virtual workshops with business partners and other internal stakeholders to align on business/product/project goals, define success measures, identify user types and their problems to solve, and define core workflows.

My role as UX Writer:

• Established the product voice and tone by creating and managing a content style guide.

• Wrote all Clinical Portal content: site navigation, titles and subtitles, labels, hint and help text, button text, modals, forms, loading screens, empty states, error and success messages, and all other microcopy and UI elements.

• Created copy decks for developers that included all content in a centralized location and served as the source of truth.

• Executed handoff plans with developers that documented design, content, and accessibility annotations. I also developed templates that were reused across multiple business units.

• Wrote a Human Factors and Usability Engineering Project Plan that was submitted to the FDA. This document provided use safety and effectiveness information about the Clinical Portal.

My role as Designer:

• Designed portions of the Clinical Portal using existing product designs and user interface (UI) kits, and collaborated with Product Designers to create low-fi wireframes through high-fi designs.

• Collaborated with the accessibility team to design a digital experience that met WCAG guidelines.

Content strategy

The Clinical Portal’s content strategy focused on creating clear, concise content for users at all times. I worked with clinical subject matter experts to source and create the right content for users at every touchpoint. The product’s voice and tone is professional and includes clinical terminology commonly used in the dialysis field.

Problem I set out to solve

The Clinical Portal included extremely technical, domain-driven knowledge within the healthcare field. I partnered with clinicians to achieve the ultimate goal for the product: Design the best-in-class remote monitoring/managing solution for clinicians and support staff.

Primary and secondary research

User research shaped the Clinical Portal’s user experience from its initial ideation to the development-ready designs. Our team worked with practicing clinicians, internal and external subject matter experts, and others with deep knowledge of the dialysis world to ensure that the product would enhance the users’ ability to efficiently provide the best possible care for their patients.

Over the course of the project, our team completed countless hours of research including (but not limited to): requirements and constraints gathering, stakeholder interviews, competitive analyses, user interviews, surveying, task analysis, journey mapping, persona building, design reviews, prototype testing, and usability testing.

User persona and user journey map

Primary user personas were nephrology nurses who wanted to provide the best possible care for their patients. Secondary user personas included nephrologists, clinic quality assurance staff, and clinic billing staff. Tertiary user personas included the extended patient care team (dietitians, social workers, primary care physicians, radiologists, vascular access surgeons, kidney specialists, physician assistants), clinical technicians, and dialysis device technicians.

With the primary user persona in mind, our team created a journey map to get a holistic view of their experience, find pain points and moments of delight, and ultimately create the best experience for them.

Design iterations (sketches, wireframes, low- and high-fidelity prototypes)

Working collaboratively with designers, accessibility partners, developers, and the product team, our team began assembling the Clinical Portal feature by feature. Design iterations began with sketches and wireframes, then ultimately led to low- and high-fidelity prototypes.

Final product

The final product was a fully designed, WCAG 2.1 AA compliant, Clinical Portal that allowed users to remotely manage and monitor their patients and provide the best care possible.

Lessons learned

The Clinical Portal was a multi-year, multi-discipline effort that required close collaboration with subject matter experts at all times. Our team routinely checked assumptions with experts and relied on their expertise to create a product that would give them a great user experience, and ultimately allow them to care for their patients effectively.