Pacify Library
The Pacify Library is a child product of the Pacify mobile app, which connects new & expecting parents to maternal health specialists. The Library is a rich archive of educational content surrounding the perinatal journey and the process of becoming a parent. It contains articles & guides, frequently asked questions from parents, videos, and more.
the challenge
The Pacify Library is accessed in a webview via a link in the app's side menu. The Library was built in 2021 and needed a major makeover. It was originally built in Wordpress and was seriously lacking responsive functionality and overall structure. Given development constraints, Pacify's options were limited when it came to creating a better solution for increasing engagement with Pacify users.
the goal
Given the nature of their obstacles, Pacify had 3 major goals with this project: build a secondary product to increase app engagement, build a sustainable architecture for their educational content, and create a beautiful user experience that blended into the mobile app as much as possible while maintaining the possibility for a full Library integration in the future.
the users
research
User research abilities were limited due to budget constraints, so I had to get creative. The first step was to analyze Pacify's users and separate them into user groups based on common interests, goals, backgrounds, etc.
There were 3 key factors that critically influenced how users interacted with the Library:
- Client affiliation
- Point in time (pregnancy/parenthood status)
- Feeding plan
user groups
- Medicaid members
- WIC/Public health participants
- Employer benefit
- Self-pay
- Pregnant
- Preparing for birth
- Postpartum
- Raising a child/children
- Breastfeeding/pumping
- Formula
- Unsure
competitive audit
Pacify had very few 1:1 direct competitors, so we opted for an audit of indirect competitors in the health landscape. I selected a few well-know healthcare brands that incorporated educational content into their core product offering and focused primarily on the experience of these libraries.
Overall, the most navigable and enjoyable library experiences incorporated a few UI elements & features that contributed to the experience being helpful, enjoyable, and easy to use:
- A library landing page to help ground users within the content
- A navigation system unique to the content library
- A variety of content including articles, videos, checklists, guides, etc.
- Multiple methods to refine content (filter, search, taxonomies, etc.)
- Content unique to the user
takeaways
Analyzing Pacify user groups allowed me to get a better grasp of who the users are, how they access Pacify, what information they're seeking, and other key frustrations & goals.
Pacify users are, for the most part, new & expecting parents seeking help & information. Understanding what information those users will be seeking during various stages of their journey allows me to empathize and design content that is useful and enjoyable. I carried this data forward through the rest of the process, especially while building the content strategy, to build a product that best supports these users and their needs.
the obstacles
organizational
Pacify, while ultimately being a consumer-facing mobile application, is a business-to-business organization and contracts with health plans, public health programs, and employers. Pacify built their WordPress website in 2015 and, over almost a decade, had accumulated a massive archive of content that spanned press releases, blog posts, client announcements, and Library articles. The desire to expand & improve the Library became a priority in 2023, but given the breadth of their existing content, the CMS became cumbersome to navigate and maintain.
content workflow & strategy
Given the size of the team, the nature of their industry, and the strength of their brand identity, Pacify's educational content needed to be carefully vetted by multiple stakeholders. However, there was an overall lack of workflow documentation and strategy, so content quality was inconsistent.
A lack of content strategy also meant that the majority of content was not applicable, relevant, or accessible to the majority of Pacify users. The overall lack of content strategy also made expansion difficult, as there was limited ability to categorize content. This also made Library navigation difficult for end-users.
design
Pacify had a strong visual identity and their in-house Creative team did their best to apply the brand consistently throughout Library content, but the outdated page builder made the process laborious, high-maintenance, and increased chances of inconsistencies. Given that the site was built for B2B marketing in 2015, the Library had a lack of responsiveness and was difficult for users to navigate.
On top of the design issues, the Library could only be accessed through a webview linked in the the mobile app's side menu. Due to budget constraints, the team had to deprioritize a full Library integration with the mobile app for the time being.
A thorough UX/UI audit revealed the following product, process, and support pain points:
1. Inconsistent navigation
- Navigation is set within a plugin – unable to set custom navigation on WordPress “posts,” only on pages
- Members don’t need the B2B marketing navigation
- Poor footer UI
2. Inconsistent style applications
- Text scale
- Shadows
- Selection of featured images
- Each module/section set individually – no component functionality
3. Default article displays don’t emphasize value
- Not compliant with brand standards
- No control or standardization of imagery, presentation, or layout
4. No inherent logic or navigation within dynamic modules or present as a whole
- Led to one very long page, user has to scroll for too long
- No filter/search/jump-to capabilities
- No hierarchy of subdivisions
5. CTA doesn't function correctly
- Tech constraints
- Deeplink doesn’t open app, app is already open
- No ability to drive actions
core needs
Identifying the nature of the Library's obstacles allowed me to recognize 3 core needs the solution had to fulfill:
- Clear documentation of content guidelines & strategy
- Structured workflow
- Taxonomy/architecture based on all audiences
- Design-forward
- Ability to be organized, segmented, displayed, etc. based on custom values
- Ability to integrate with mobile app
- Standardization of content<>design application
- Mobile-friendly navigation
- UX/UI overhaul
the process
strategy & workflow
Tackling the strategy and workflow happened simultaneously. A big factor in this process was understanding that Pacify users are at a very specific point within a limited period of time in their life. The nature of pregnancy and raising a child, in regards to content, is relatively linear; the experience changes as time passes.
I also collaborated with the Clinical Team, Client Success Team, Marketing Team, and Leadership to get a better grasp of the trajectory for Pacify. With an understanding of our users and Pacify's future endeavors, I built a scalable architecture that spanned the breadth of the user's Pacify journey and enabled expansion for future organization endeavors.
After establishing a framework it was time to strategize content and establish a workflow. I created an Asana board with built-in automations to move items through the various stakeholders and into the publishing process as seamlessly as possible.
information architecture
Designing the user journey of the Library was imperative in building an enjoyable, useful, and responsive experience for Pacify members. This sitemap identifies the core pages that make up the Pacify Library and the actions users take on each page. The architecture will allow users to find content easily and perform key actions, leading to increased engagement.
I also designed it to empower the Pacify team as they build out their content. As the organization grows, their content will too. This framework allows for expansion, customization, and efficiency for all users.
wireframes
While building my wireframes, I referenced other telehealth platforms that provide similar educational content. I also referenced major periodical apps to ensure users would be familiar with the interface.
I started by working with some common UI elements that could improve navigation and user experience like cards, sliders, tabs etc. With these elements, I built layouts that would improve user understanding.
With the knowledge that our users come to Pacify in search of guidance, I prioritized providing users with a variety of ways to navigate the Library to help them find information quickly and efficiently. On top of the user's needs, the organization had product-specific goals to drive engagement and revenue. With the needs of the users and stakeholders in mind, I outlined the following list of objectives that the Library's structure needed to achieve:
- Provide multiple routes of navigation on each page and throughout content
- Use familiar components and layouts to reduce cognitive dissonance and improve navigation (i.e. search, filter, cards, tags)
- Avoid information overload in hopes of encouraging stickiness & utilization
- Tie content to vital KPIs within the core product
- Maintain a scalable structure to allow for sustainable growth over time
UI design & application
Once the wireframes were solidified, I began to build the design system for the new & improved Library interface. All those small UI elements I built into my wireframes were refined & polished as they became atoms in my design system. These atoms grew into essential building blocks for the molecules and organisms that would compose the Library pages.
the product
protype & iteration
Applying the Pacify brand to this project was a ton of fun. It opened up a ton of creative avenues for playing with color, typography, and layout.
The first iterations weren't perfect and there was a lot of trial and error balancing brand application and information architecture. I made some changes along the way to prioritze a clean interface, like swapping color-coded tags for uniform ones. Most users access the Library on their mobile device, so I scaled elements up to be more interactive and accessible on a smaller screen. I also moved and added elements for clarification purposes.
usability testing
I tested the first Library launch with real Pacify users to determine what revisions were necessary to make the experience more intuitive and enjoyable for users.
- Users were having trouble getting back to the Library after navigating into content.
Fix: Added Library navigation menu to footer and "Back to Library" button
- Users needed an easy way to jump to specific category from home page
Fix: Added category card buttons to landing page
- Users became disoriented between Category and Article pages
Fix: Added content indicators to header sections to help identify content
conclusion
challenges
- Organizing a cross-functional workflow that allowed for stakeholder approval and team involvement
- Applying Pacify's colorful brand to a clean, intuitive interface without overpowering the user or creating visual clutter
- Anticipating user needs and interests with no historical user data
lessons learned
- Keeping things simple can make a huge impact in the overall outcome and usability
- The value of having an organized design system of atoms, molecules, and organisms to create beautiful and seamless experiences
- Collaboration is important!