Redesign and test an online membership application for physicians and oncologists
Client
Industry
Healthcare
Year
2023
Duration
1 year
(Who and why?)
Context
(01)
The client
The client is the world’s leading professional organization for physicians and oncology professionals dedicated to cancer care and research.
They offer a membership program for oncologists, physicians, researchers, and trainees, providing access to educational resources, networking, and discounts. However, the existing application process was long, fragmented, and not optimized for modern usage.
We were engaged to redesign and test a more intuitive, accessible, and mobile-friendly application experience, helping reduce drop-offs and support long-term scalability of the membership platform.
This initiative was part of a broader effort to modernize their e-commerce and operational systems. Alongside the frontend redesign, the team worked to integrate with a new order management platform and align with back-end business logic, including discounts, user segments, and profile-based offerings.
These efforts supported the organization’s goals of improving scalability, maintaining consistency across tools, and driving growth across digital products and services.
(02)
The challenge
The membership application experience presented several friction points:
Applicants had to complete over five pages before reaching checkout
Key steps in the process were split across disconnected screens
The mobile experience lacked responsiveness and clarity
Application data was not retained across steps, leading to frustration and drop-offs
These issues not only impacted the user experience but also created risks to conversion rates and applicant satisfaction, especially for busy healthcare professionals applying from different countries and devices.
Old version of the Membership application.
(03)
My role
My role evolved as the project progressed:
Facilitating a collaborative workshop with stakeholders
Collaborating daily with the Product Manager, Business Analyst, Tech Lead, Junior Experience Designer and the Development team
Hands-on collaboration during design and implementation with the development team
Leading in-person usability testing and iteration cycles
Aligning with stakeholders to ensure research-backed design and product decisions
(What I did)
Process & solution
(04)
Inception workshop and journey mapping
The project began with an Inception phase: a series of workshops to align on goals, pain points, and opportunities. I co-led a journey mapping exercise of the current application flow and a proto-persona workshop, where we defined user types based on business data and previous research insights.
From these sessions, we outlined the structure and content of the future membership journey, identifying key screens and data inputs needed across the experience.
Proto-persona profile and minimized journey map that we did in the Inception workshop.
(05)
Early design & iteration
With alignment in place, I moved quickly to sketch and deliver the first low-fidelity screens, focusing on the most critical form steps. These early designs enabled the development team to begin parallel sprints while we refined the user flow.
We developed and reviewed the full application experience in low fidelity to support early feedback and planning. This set the foundation for design testing and visual refinements.
We designed and developed the full end-to-end journey in low fidelity. This developed product helped us to do user testing and start measuring user satisfaction.
(06)
User testing
I led an in-person usability study to validate the experience and surface areas for improvement. We tested the application flow with over a dozen participants, both domestic and international, across a range of professional backgrounds.
Key insights from testing:
Applicants described the new flow as more modern and user-friendly
There was a strong desire for transparency around data use, especially for demographic and professional fields
Participants appreciated clear and comprehensive input options
Many expected fields to be pre-filled when revisiting or progressing through the application
(07)
High-fidelity design & collaboration
After testing, we iterated on the UI and refined the application flow using the client’s design system.
I began by sketching and exploring more polished versions of the screens, and then applied the design system to build the high-fidelity prototypes.
I also contributed back to the design system by creating and documenting new components, including:
Autocomplete interactions
Form field patterns
Alert component
I also created a service blueprint to visualize frontstage and backstage actions across the MVP flow, supporting collaboration with developers and product teams.
Some sketches I did before creating the High-fidelity design.
New version of the Membership application supporting mobile devices.
Service blueprint I did for the MVP journey considering all the frontstage and backstage interactions.
(08)
Accessibility and analytics
To ensure WCAG 2.1 compliance, I worked with the BA to audit the interface. I created accessibility annotations to document:
Focus order and keyboard navigation
ARIA labels and screen reader support
Clear descriptions for error states and alerts
In parallel, I collaborated with the Project Manager to define key analytics questions:
- Where do users drop off?
- How long does each page take to complete?
- How many errors occur per page?
- What’s the average time to complete an application?
(09)
Outcomes & impact
The new application flow was clearer, more intuitive, and mobile-friendly, designed to reduce friction and support business goals like improved conversion rates and platform scalability.
Impact highlights:
Redesigned flow aligned with best practices in UX and accessibility
Validated design through in-person testing with global users
Strengthened internal design system with reusable components
Delivered service blueprint to align design, dev, and product stakeholders
Created foundations for future data-informed optimization through analytics
Beyond UX improvements, the work contributed to a larger transformation effort across e-commerce, financial systems, and customer service operations.
The membership application became part of a fully integrated platform supporting memberships, digital products, and events. By connecting to the organization’s new financial systems and user profile services, the project helped modernize internal infrastructure and has already generated significant revenue since launch.
(10)
Final thoughts & reflections
This project was a great example of how UX, accessibility, and product thinking come together to support both user and business needs.
I'm especially proud of:
The collaborative pace between product, design, and development
Mentoring a Junior Designer during their first client engagement
Advocating for accessibility from the start, not as a checklist, but as an integral part of design
Seeing how testing and iteration translated into a more inclusive and scalable product
Influencing on the best design practices and maintaining strong relationships with stakeholders throughout the project