One institution, experienced as many.
The organization had grown more connected internally, but online it still looked like dozens of separate entities — hospitals, colleges, a research enterprise, a cancer center — each with its own navigation, naming, and content.
Some service lines carried more than 100 linked pages in their first two levels of navigation; others had no intuitive category structure at all. To find care, patients effectively had to understand the org chart.
The org chart is how an institution sees itself. It shouldn’t be the map people have to read.
Research first, then structure, then content.
Four tree tests and fifteen moderated usability sessions grounded the structure before design began, and every decision after it.¹
- ResearchTree tests, usability, SME interviews
- StructureSeven-site architecture, four-tier IA
- ContentLeveled effort, 34-module library
- ValidateTest, refine, train authors
A four-tier path to care.
Health content was reorganized into one consistent hierarchy — category, service line, service detail, condition — so every specialty works the same way. People can reach care four ways: by search, category, specialty, or condition.
- Search
- Category
- Specialty
- Condition
Eleven service lines were restructured side by side, today versus tomorrow, alongside 28 naming recommendations that brought labels in line with how patients actually search.²
Not every page deserves the same effort.
Content was leveled by impact. The highest-traffic, highest-stakes pages were fully rewritten and redesigned; the long tail moved 1:1. That let a small team spend its craft where it mattered most.³
Bar length on a square-root scale so the smallest tiers stay visible.
Clarity at the scale of an institution.
The new ecosystem launched seven homepage experiences on seven shared templates, a unified content hub for news, podcasts, events, and blogs, and directories for service lines, conditions, and academic programs — all under one brand system.
Post-launch performance data will be added as it becomes available.