The American Cancer Society’s (ACS) Cancer Survivors Network (CSN) is a dynamic, online community for its users to interact and share their experiences with cancer. The website launched in July 2000, but has not changed since. I worked with Jason Chen, Daya Lee, Elise Qian, and Michelle Tai to help increase CSN's functionality and usability in preparation for a refresh in 2018.
Duration: 4 months (January 2017-May 2017)
Research methods: Interviewing, contextual inquiries, competitive analysis
Design methods: Sketching, information architecture, rapid prototyping
Design skills: Information hierarchy, typography, color theory, wireframing
Tools: Adobe Illustrator, InVision, Adobe InDesign
Client Background
The American Cancer Society’s (ACS) Cancer Survivors Network (CSN) is a dynamic online community created by and created for people affected by cancer. CSN provides a private community for its users to interact and share their experiences. Members of the community are encouraged to contribute, although content is not endorsed by ACS. The website was launched in July 2000, but has not been changed since and is in need of an update. ACS is planning to deploy a new website for CSN in 2018 and wants to consider new design ideas before implementation.
Research Objectives
Currently, there are approximately 65,000 active monthly users out of the 170,000 who are registered. The client seeks to redesign the current website interface in order to improve its user experience. As of now, users may find the site difficult to navigate and therefore cannot access features and discussions they may be looking for. This also lowers user retention and return rates, which the client seeks to increase with the redesign. With the growing number of tech-savvy users, a mobile-friendly interface is necessary to cater toward a wider range of media types. Based on our research, we hope to develop more user-friendly interface for multiple devices. As we develop prototypes for the redesign, we must also keep accessibility for elderly users in mind and design for users across all demographics.
Hunt Statement
To better support individuals in existing cancer support communities, we want to design a mobile-friendly environment for CSN. To give us design direction, we will first understand the user needs and patterns through user research, while noting the differences in user behavior and flow between mobile and web usage. We will conduct competitive analysis as a way to learn about usability of ACS competitors and incorporate those findings to optimize our mobile navigational design.
Research Summary
Before diving into the low fidelity prototyping, the team investigated CSN’s current situation and its users to better understand priorities in the mobile redesign. In addition to literature review, competitive analysis, task analysis, and analysis of previous research done, it was decided to further the understanding of CSN’s current situation and user needs by analyzing the mobile platforms of popular competitors. It was found that consistent styling and flexibility to users between the web and mobile platforms is important for user loyalty and trust in participating in the community. In addition, the organization of content of the current site had opportunities for improvement to give users a better understanding of the navigational flow. The project team was also able to identify a few features offered on the current site that are not clearly understood by users in regards to the functionality and purpose. Looking at the mobile sites of competitors, insight was gained into the features and content that should be taken into consideration when prioritizing on a smaller screen. With these findings, the team moved forward with creating multiple iterations of lo-fi prototypes.