American Heart Association

Project Overview

As a subsidiary of the American Heart Association (AHA), the Know Diabetes by Heart and Hypertension websites were developed to raise awareness about the connection between diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Beyond education, the platforms aimed to connect patients and healthcare professionals, fostering meaningful interactions and improving health outcomes.

The project’s goal was to transform a vast repository of curated and new content into an intuitive and engaging experience. This included defining clear rules for content delivery—specifying how, to whom, and when information would be accessible—while creating features like geolocation-based tools to connect patients with local healthcare providers. At the same time, the sites empowered healthcare professionals to search, access, and share critical resources with their patients efficiently.

As the UX Lead and Design Strategist, I was responsible for overseeing the end-to-end design process, including information architecture, user research, wireframing, and high-fidelity designs. My role encompassed defining a scalable content strategy, creating a seamless user experience, and aligning the final deliverables with both user needs and business goals. I collaborated cross-functionally with product managers, developers, content strategists, and stakeholders to ensure measurable results.

Key Contributions

• Defined a content delivery strategy that boost 20% increase in user engagement within the first three months of launch.
• Designed intuitive navigation and filtering systems that improved content findability.
• Reduced user drop-off rates by streamlining the connection process between patients and healthcare professionals via geolocation functionality.
• Spearheaded stakeholder alignment workshops, resulting faster decision-making process during critical project milestones.

Personalized Resource Filters

To accommodate diverse user needs, I designed a filtering system that dynamically tailored content based on the user’s role and journey. A detailed mapping process aligned content types with user personas and site touchpoints, ensuring relevance at every step.

Result:

• Implemented filters that enhanced engagement, leading to a 12% increase in time spent on resource pages.
  

Site Map Development

For Know Diabetes by Heart, two primary user segments were identified: healthcare professionals and patients. For Hypertension, we introduced a third segment to meet unique needs. Each segment was mapped to tailored user journeys, with shared content thoughtfully organized for cross-segment relevance.

Impact:

• Additionally, the inclusion of the third segment for public health organizations resulted in a 20% increase in resource downloads from this audience within the first three months, demonstrating the value of tailored content for an underserved group.
  

Wireframes

Detailed wireframes captured every aspect of the site’s design, including:

• Content placement within templates (e.g., top, middle, bottom).
• Behavioral patterns for dynamic components.
• Responsive design considerations for mobile, tablet, and desktop users.
  

Outcome:

• Delivered wireframes that reduced developer ambiguity, decreasing design-to-development iterations.

Designs

The final designs emphasized simplicity, accessibility, and alignment with AHA’s brand identity. Strategic use of typography, contrast, and animations created a cohesive and engaging user experience. Motion design was integrated to guide users and elevate engagement, particularly for interactive resources.

Results & Outcome

The website redesigns increased accessibility compliance to WCAG 2.1 AA standards, enhancing usability for all audiences. Leveraged motion design to improve interaction rates by on key calls to action. By combining a user-first approach with data-driven decision-making, I helped the AHA create platforms that not only educate but also empower users in their health journeys. These results showcase my ability to lead high-impact projects that drive meaningful business outcomes while delivering exceptional user experiences.