is a comprehensive website that provides self-management educational resources that help individuals who suffered a concussion to:
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Develop skills to move forward
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Navigate the healthcare system
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Determine the validity of claims made by vendors
Role
Lead Designer + Illustrator co-op student on the Learning Technologies Team at VCH
Objectives
Provide accessible, evidence-based resources
The site will provide well-curated and credible information written by reliable and certified occupational therapists
Offer an alternative to on-site workshops
Instead of meeting in-person for hours at a time, this site will provide information and education delivered in workshops
Tailor content to fit the patients’ needs
The site must deliver information that pertains to their specific case and lifestyle efficiently
Timeline
1 Research
We contacted patients who volunteered to provide feedback after attending the concussion workshops. We called them for one-on-one phone interviews and asked them questions about their experience. These insights led to the improvement of the workshop and content as well as the development of the website.
“I needed the information right after my incident. I feel like there was too much time between needing this info and actually getting it.”
“I would like to know what other symptoms to expect and how to handle them, before it happens. I had a scare once, but was told by the GP that the incident is normal.”
2 Sitemapping
We created a sitemap that incorporated all the features that the client and the feedback participants had provided. We were able to condense the structure to make it simple to navigate through by creating numerous iterations of this sitemap.
3 Visual Identity
VCH’s brand standards involved a variation of colours. In order to create a visual identity that was sophisticated and modern, I chose to only take the mono-chromatics, blues and yellows. We incorporated different font weights to bring hierarchy to the site.
4 IIlustrations
I thought it would be nice to have illustrations and diagrams to accompany to text. I worked closely with the clinicians to create 96 illustrations and diagrams for all of the articles. It was important that the illustrations represented a diverse range of individuals and reflected a realistic representation of what a person might feel when they have a concussion.
5 User Testing
During the user testing, we were able to identify many of the flaws and inconcistencies within the first iteration of the site. Asides from the changes to the visual language, we found that the integration of a welcome message with tops and accessibilty options would help users navigate better through the site.
6 Development
We used Craft CMS so that more content can be uploaded following the production of the site. This system makes it easy for the clinicians to edit and maintain. It was crucial to integrate this as part of the solution, as medical information is most reliable when it is up to date.
Site Functions
Filters
The user goes through a series of questions that acts as filters. Their answers will help inform and curate the personal MyGuide Library. This provides the user with a tailored experience that makes it easy to learn about their concussion within their own context.
MyGuide
The myGuide is curated through the questions answered in the filters. Users can track their progress with the “read” checkmarks as they go through the articles. The library and progress are stored through the cookies in their browser, so G.F. Strong does not have to handle medical information.
Article Pages
The article pages are designed to be easy and functional to use. By making the call to actions clear and easy to click on, the user can easily navigate through the slides.
Product in Action
Light + Dark Mode
As part of our goal to make this site accessible, we also implemented a dark and light mode option so users can reduce eye tension while navigating through the site.
Accessible Interactions
Designing for individuals who potentially suffer from cognitive symptoms means that all the interactions within the site were carefully considered to ensure the patient can easily and efficiently access the information. On top of large call-to-actions, we refrained from using any unsettling transitions to reduce motion sickness. The site was also built to reduce scrolling for the user.
Mobile Access
Many users need on-the-go access to concussion-related information. In order to make the mobile experience accessible, it was important for us to adjust the transitions and interactions carefully. We added additional instructions while trying to maintain a minimal scroll.
Customized Experience
Users can easily access information that pertains to their specific situation with the filter component within the MyGuide Function. This means the user will be able to avoid content that has no value to their case.
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