The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
MMRF founder Kathy Giusti explains how the foundation is making strides in research. Visit the MMRF to support their work.
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) is the largest nonprofit in the world dedicated to the advancement of treatment and cures for those afflicted with the titular blood cancer. Since its inception, the MMRF has made exceptional strides in advancing the treatment of multiple myeloma. The organization has brought over a dozen new drugs to market, opened over 80 clinical trials, and more than tripled the survival rates of patients from 3 to 10 years.
The MMRF recruited me to serve as the organization's Website Manager, as part of a need for a comprehensive overhaul of its online presence. As a result of the organizations smaller size, this required adapting to many roles, and would encompass several different aspects of web development, user experience, team management and technical oversight. Below are some examples of the UX work I completed during my time with the foundation.
Redesigning the MMRF Website
User research showed that visitors found the original MMRF website frustrating to use. Confusing visuals, obfuscated navigation and a roundabout information architecture made it difficult to find key patient information, or even understand the foundation's purpose.
Consulting with leadership on the UX/information architecture and aiding the various technical teams, we were able to implement a much cleaner aesthetic and clearer direction on the site. Our traffic web-traffic subsequently jumped by over 20% as a result!
Developing Pages for Corporate Events
I was often tasked with quickly designing and developing promotional landing pages for the foundation's major corporate events. This required rapidly consulting with the marketing and events teams to establish priority content, align on a design, and implement ASAP.
Visitors favored striking hero images combined with quick conveyance of the foundation's location at the these events. I used a 'more' button to easily jump the user to additional details of our event activity, and a Twitter feed to greatly bolster digital marketing results.
Developing Pages for Corporate Sponsors
Another example of the type of pages I needed to develop while at the MMRF would be cross-promotion pages featuring corporate backers who support the foundation. Below is an example I created for Dr. Elsey's, which specializes in quality products for cat owners.
This page was designed while catering closely to the preferences of leadership and the backers with regards to copy, content-priority and imagery. The Elsey's story and hashtag campaign, as the most crucial components, were given equal prominence above the fold.
Redesigning the Patient Navigation Center
An area of the foundation's web presence that required better UX was its oncology specialist call center. Users had difficulty finding information on the call center's services, and felt the visuals were somewhat sterile for what was supposed to be a source of comfort.
I implemented stock imagery, clearer CTAs and a patient quote to grant the page a more assuring and informative presentation. This redesign allowed for more informed callers, easing the burden on our specialists, as well as additional traffic to related MMRF services.
Redesigning the Signup Experience
We'll close with improvements I made to the MMRF's newsletter signup ahead of the 2020 redesign. The original layout had inserted a signup form above the default page template, leading to crucial text falling below the initial fold and a generally awkward layout.
I simplified the signup form with straightforward, concise copy and no content below the page fold. I later expanded upon this direction, adding new copy and a visual spread of the foundation's accolades/high ratings to bolster user confidence and increase signups.