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About the Client

The health communications professionals at diaTribe (diatribe.org) leverage the power of media and events to share their knowledge, research, and lifestyle information with those affected by diabetes. dStigmatize.org is one of their organizations and web properties targeting topics related to the stigma that often affects people with diabetes.

Goals

A legacy WordPress site was created from the ground up and launched in February 2022. Two years later, the client found that the target audience had changed from people with diabetes to advocacy groups and healthcare professionals. They wanted to improve the user experience for both of these target groups. Following our preliminary discussions, we defined two primary deliverables.

1. Create and build a “Toolkit” or “Resource Library” to serve helpful, relevant, and essential resources to site visitors in a friendly and efficient manner. All third-party content from diaTribe.org and other thought leaders needed to be easily added and accessed, and content authors needed to create it easily.
2. Make general site improvements to increase engagement and create a better experience for the newly identified primary users, all other website visitors, and authors.

Our Role and Tasks

Working with the technical and project management team at Brooks Digital and following discussions with the client, we decided on a two-phase approach to development and launch.

Phase One focused on the Resource Libary landing page and its secondary pages. Phase Two focused on brand and user experience improvements. Additionally, we were tasked with creating an Authoring Guide and providing training.

• Discovery & strategy
  • Legacy site analysis and audit
  • Client needs, user experience, and technical survey discovery
  • Content mapping for existing and new content
  • Information architecture planning and recommendations
  • Brand analysis and benchmarking 
• Design
  • Page layouts
    • Determining page content and general layouts
    • Wireframing the homepage, landing pages, resource library, and general content pages 
  • Design management and creative direction
• Content
  • Content creation (graphics and components)
  • Creating new messaging, rewriting and editing existing messaging
• Support
  • Site building and content entry
  • Documentation, authoring guide, and training
  • QA

Results

The developers and client team from Brooks Digital managed the backend development and project management. The original version of the site used fixed fields for content entry throughout its authoring environment. The new site introduced the client to WordPress’s Gutenberg editor, which is now widely used throughout the new site. While remaining cognizant of this change, we focused on our two main deliverables.

Deliverable 1: The Resource Library

In our initial client discussions, they admired the “Resources & Research” page we developed for the “Time in Range” website, a sister organization. They recognized its value and requested a similar solution tailored to their needs and audience. Their aim for the Resource Library was to create a user-friendly repository that addresses stigma’s impact on patients and offers quick access to valuable information.

We prioritized the Resource Library by adding it to the top-level navigation using a “Resources” link for easy access, a seamless user experience.

The Toolkit includes:

1. Robust search capabilities that facilitate quick access to relevant content
2. Advanced filtering options to streamline results by topic, resource type, and visitor type
3. User-friendly content presentation for easy digestion
4. Flexible content pages with visual elements and sharing functionality

Collaborating closely with the client, we categorized Resources into guides & tools, videos, research, partner resources, personal stories, press releases, and other potential types. Much existing content consists of PDF documents, links to partner websites, and short videos hosted on platforms like YouTube or Vimeo. A new content type and templates ensure consistent layouts, ease of authoring, and powerful search results.

Deliverable 2: Design, Architecture & Site Improvements

The revamped site builds upon the legacy design, enhancing user experience while maintaining the integrity of the diaTribe brand. Simplified pages, improved engagement, and emphasized calls-to-action streamline navigation and encourage user interaction. A redesigned site architecture prioritizes access to information for healthcare professionals.

Pages feature a range of customizable components, including rich imagery and generous white space for enhanced readability. A cohesive palette of cool blue tones enhances visual appeal and highlights key content. Interactive buttons elevate user engagement, while linked text is used sparingly.

Hero images showcase bold graphic design with circular cutouts, symbolizing the isolation associated with stigma. The footer design pays homage to the diaTribe brand, drawing inspiration from the new diatribe.org website.

Outcome

The updated website, aligned with the updated brand design, incorporates design elements from the redesigned diatribe.org website. It features inclusive imagery and writing and a clean, cool color palette to convey professionalism.

With the new architecture, visitors find a clear path to their interests. The “Resource Library” offers streamlined access to information, with robust filtering options based on interests, resource type, and role.

The updated website prioritizes user experience, reinforces the diaTribe brand and promotes deeper engagement.

Built on WordPress, the site adheres to accessibility standards and GDPR compliance. A new Authoring Guide provides comprehensive assistance for both new and existing administrators.

These enhancements make the site more engaging, reinforcing the diaTribe brand while encouraging visitors to explore more pages and spend longer on the site. It serves as a key resource for Healthcare Professionals and others seeking information on diabetes stigma.