MARCH OF DIMES
SERVICES
WEB DESIGN
DIGITAL STRATEGY
TRAUMA-INFORMED RESEARCH
YEAR
2022
INFO
Through research, advocacy, and direct programs, March of Dimes is working to end preventable maternal health risks and death, end preventable preterm birth and infant death and close the health equity gap for all families. I conducted extensive audience research, crafted a new digital strategy, and designed a new website to consolidate 40 websites and accelerate March of Dimes' positive impact.
PROBLEM
1. Audiences often don't neatly fit into one audience. Several of the interviewees represented multiple audience groups, for example women who were affected by the mission in some way and then because of the services they received from the organization, decided to engage with them through donating, volunteering, or advocating. 2. March of Dimes' broader support isn't apparent. March of Dimes supports and advocates for the health of moms, families, and babies more broadly. We found that this broader support isn't apparent in the digital presence, and it should be more inclusive and focus on equity in messaging. 3. Many site visitors are experiencing trauma. For women who are mission-affected and in the NICU, they are likely experiencing trauma and that can affect how they will access and approach the March of Dimes website. 4. Poor internet bandwidth is likely. Some site visitors will be accessing the site from the hospital. They will likely be on their mobile phone and may have poor bandwidth in the hospital. 5. Creating community is critical. Some are looking to learn from others, hear about similar experiences, and find community support groups.
SOLUTION
I led our Design team through extensive research, including interviews and surveys, and held 10 multi-day sprints with internal stakeholder groups to outline findings and jumpstart ideating and solution brainstorming. I translated research findings for our teams and reviewed all design work to ensure it was regarding and interpreting correctly the digital strategy recommendations. Following the design sprint sessions, I led our UX team to create wireframes, which we then presented to the internal stakeholder teams for their review and feedback. We then ran usability testing with key audience members to determine if the wireframes and site maps suited their needs and were easy to use. Site Accomplishments - Showcase stories that may inspire, educate, or soothe people in similar situations. - Organize 200+ topic pages for women to learn about research-informed and specific answers to questions and concerns that moms and families may have. - Inspire action in a variety of ways, through donating, volunteering, or advocating. - Connect women to local resources and community groups. The client said I was a “tremendous force” and that March of Dimes is “blessed to have [me].”
