Designing for Health Equity

Improving access to clinical trials through user-centered content strategy and intuitive information architecture.

Challenge

The PAN Foundation, a national health equity nonprofit, sought to expand its mission by improving access to clinical trials for historically excluded groups. To achieve this, PAN needed to build a new website from the ground up, designed to serve two primary audiences:

  • Patients seeking clinical trial opportunities.

  • Donors looking to support PAN’s initiatives.

My Role

As the content strategist and UX researcher, I led stakeholder workshops, conducted user research, and developed the site’s information architecture (IA).

My goal was to create a user-friendly experience with a cohesive structure that offered clear pathways to clinical trial information and donation opportunities.

Aligning User & Business Goals

To ensure the website effectively met both PAN’s mission and user needs, I facilitated a series of workshops with key stakeholders. These sessions helped:

  • Identify critical user personas and their primary needs.

  • Define content priorities for patients and donors.

  • Establish guiding principles for accessibility and inclusivity.

By aligning business objectives with user expectations, we created a foundation for a site that balanced organizational goals with an intuitive user experience.

Images of alignment workshop data and user journey exploration.

Understanding User Mental Models

To design an intuitive navigation system, I conducted in-depth user research, including:

  • 14 card sorting sessions to understand how users naturally categorize information.

  • Competitive analysis to benchmark best practices from similar organizations.

  • Content inventory and gap analysis to ensure all critical information was included and well-organized.

These insights directly shaped the site’s structure, making it easier for both patients and donors to find relevant information effortlessly.

Images of Card Sort synthesis and user data visualization.

Defining the future IA

I developed a streamlined IA options with clearly defined sections, ensuring an intuitive experience for all users. Key sections included:

  • Home

  • Clinical Trials – For patients seeking opportunities.

  • Patients & Caregivers – Educational resources and support.

  • Donors & Partnerships – Ways to contribute and engage with PAN’s mission.

  • Research & Blog – Updates on health equity and clinical trials.

  • About Us – Organizational mission and impact.

To enhance usability, I refined labels and categories for clarity, tailored navigation pathways to user needs, and integrated search and contact functionalities for seamless access.

Snapshot of the proposed information architecture, annotated with research-backed rationale.

My Impact

Through strategic research and content design, I helped PAN create a platform that:

  • Improved usability: A clear, structured navigation system streamlined user journeys for patients and donors.

  • Increased accessibility: Inclusive design ensured the site was easy to navigate for users with varying levels of digital literacy.

  • Strengthened engagement: Patients could quickly find clinical trial opportunities, while donors had clearer pathways to support PAN’s mission.

  • Ensured future relevance: A quarterly content review system was established to adapt to changing priorities and maintain site accuracy.

By integrating research-driven content strategy and user-centered design, this project helped PAN further its mission while providing an accessible and engaging experience for all users.

Finalized IA overlayed with design schedule phases.